Have you been injured on someone else’s property in Pensacola, Florida? Did you get hurt because the owner was negligent? Contact Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers at (850) 434-3333 for a free consultation. The owner should be held accountable for your medical bills, lost wages, and distress. Our Pensacola premises liability lawyers can help you assert your rights and maximize your recovery.
Since our opening, Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers has been dedicated to helping everyday people stand up to powerful corporations after life-changing accidents. As exceptionally skilled Florida trial attorneys with 75+ years of combined experience, we’ve helped our clients recover over $200 million in monetary awards. We’re ready to help you demand financial justice with your premises liability case, too.
Why Hire Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers for Help With a Premises Liability Lawsuit in Pensacola, FL
Premises liability cases can be overwhelming and stressful. It doesn’t help when a negligent property owner and their insurance company work hard to stand between you and a meaningful financial recovery. That’s why victims of slip and fall accidents, dog bites, and other matters of premises liability in Pensacola, FL, turn to Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers.
Our Pensacola personal injury attorneys offer focused, personalized, and detailed legal representation when you need it most. Our team includes attorneys who’ve been honored as:
- AV-rated litigators by Martindale-Hubbell
- Avvo Client’s Choice Award recipients
- Board Certified Civil Trial Specialists by the Florida Bar Association
- Members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
We’ll be the aggressive legal advocates you need while you take time to recover. Now’s the time to get started, so don’t hesitate to call our law office today. Your initial case review is free.
What Is Premises Liability?
Florida’s premises liability laws impose an important duty of care on property owners. It’s simple: if you own or manage property in the state, you have to take reasonable steps to keep it safe. Should someone enter your property lawfully, they shouldn’t be at an increased risk of getting hurt because of an obscured danger or non-obvious threat to their safety.
If you enter someone’s property as an invited guest or visitor and get hurt because of some hazardous condition, you can sue the property owner for damages on the grounds that they were negligent.
Duties of Care Owed in Premises Liability Cases
What does a property owner in Pensacola have to do to satisfy this duty of care? It really depends on the types of visitors they have and how a victim is classified.
Florida recognizes two types of lawful visitors: invitees and licensees.
- Invitees enter the property with the owner’s consent for a business-related purpose. The owner’s business interests benefit from the visit in some way. Invitees are owed the highest duty of care in Florida. Owners should inspect regularly, fix dangerous conditions upon discovery, and warn of known threats to safety.
- Licensees enter property lawfully, but for personal, rather than business-related, reasons. Since the owner doesn’t benefit, the standards required to protect licensees aren’t as high. Still, property owners must take steps to warn about potential safety risks and fix hazards when they’re discovered.
Trespassers, or individuals who enter property without the owner’s permission, are typically not protected under Florida’s premises liability laws. The primary exception involves children who enter property because of swimming pools and other attractive nuisances.
We Handle All Types of Premises Liability Cases in Pensacola
At Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, our premises liability attorneys in Pensacola, FL, represent clients in matters related to:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Trip and fall accidents
- Falling object accidents
- Toxic exposure
- Building collapse accidents
- Elevator accidents
- Escalator accidents
- Swimming pool accidents
- Food poisoning
- Negligent security
- Assault
- Sexual assault
- Dog bites
- Broken sidewalk accidents
Experience matters when you have a single opportunity to pursue compensation from a negligent business owner or government agency in Pensacola. It’s important to work with a personal injury law firm that appreciates the nuances of different premises liability cases and has hands-on experience navigating these often-challenging situations. Call our Pensacola premises liability attorneys to learn more about why we’re the best choice to represent you after you’ve been hurt.
What if the Property Owner Tries To Blame Me for Getting Hurt?
Florida’s modified comparative fault rule applies to most premises liability cases. So, sharing responsibility – or being accused of sharing blame – for an accident on someone else’s property can affect your ability to get compensation.
Under the law, a plaintiff’s damages can be reduced proportionately to fault up to 50 percent. If you’re assigned one-quarter of the blame for a slip and fall accident at a Pensacola grocery store, your insurance settlement or jury award would be reduced by 25 percent to reflect that.
Once your contribution exceeds half, you lose the right to demand compensation from others, even if they played a role in your accident.
What Could My Premises Liability Claim Be Worth?
Every situation is different. So, it’s important to consider the specific ways in which your life has been affected by your accident and injuries. Factors that may influence your case’s value include:
- What types of injuries have you suffered?
- Are those injuries permanent?
- Can you continue to work while you recover?
- Will you be temporarily or permanently disabled?
- Do you share any of the blame for your accident or injury?
- How old are you?
- What was your earning capacity before you got hurt? Has that changed since the accident?
- What insurance benefits are available?
- Were you the victim of an intentional act of violence?
- Did you get hurt because the property owner was grossly negligent?
- Did you take steps to mitigate your damages?
The more an unexpected accident and injury turn your life upside-down and cause financial hardships, the more money you might be able to recover when your premises liability case is resolved.
What Damages Can Be Awarded in a Successful Premises Liability Case?
As the plaintiff in a premises liability lawsuit in Pensacola, you’ll have the ability to request compensatory damages. This can include two types of monetary awards: economic damages for financial losses and non-economic damages for harder-to-value struggles.
Our Pensacola premises liability attorneys can help you pursue money for:
- Current medical expenses
- Future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Nursing care
- Chronic physical pain
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Embarrassment
- Pain and suffering
The property owner will go to great lengths to downplay your injuries and suffering. Our passionate legal team won’t let them or their insurance company dictate the terms of your case or stand between you and a fair financial award.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Premises Liability Attorney in Pensacola?
At Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, we do not charge anything up front to get started. We handle premises liability cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not pay retainers or hourly fees out of pocket.
We advance the costs necessary to investigate and pursue your claim, including filing fees, expert consultations, and case preparation expenses. We only collect attorneys’ fees if we successfully recover compensation for you.
If we secure a settlement or verdict on your behalf, our fees and case costs are deducted from the recovery. If we are not able to obtain compensation, you do not owe us attorney’s fees.
What’s the Statute of Limitations for Premises Liability Cases in Florida?
Florida requires premises liability lawsuits to be filed within two years of the date of injury or wrongful death. There can be exceptions, like cases involving injured children or government tort claims. However, no matter what statute of limitations applies, it’s important to meet the filing deadline.
Once time runs out, you lose the ability to demand compensation from a negligent property owner, business, or government agency in Pensacola.
Schedule a Complimentary Case Review With an Experienced Pensacola Premises Liability Lawyer
Call Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers for help if you’ve recently slipped and fallen because of a dangerous condition on someone else’s property in Pensacola, FL. You shouldn’t have to navigate the consequences of the owner’s negligence alone. Our experienced Pensacola premises liability attorneys can help you seek compensation.
We help our clients tell their stories, stand up to powerful corporations, and demand justice. The result: hundreds of millions of dollars recovered in settlements and jury awards. See how we can help with your premises liability case by contacting our Pensacola law office today. Your first case review is free.