When someone is injured due to hazards on a poorly maintained property, they can seek compensation from the property owner or leaseholder. Payment can be sought for many injury-related expenses, including medical bills, prescription medication costs, lost wages, rehabilitation costs, and even lost future wages in the event your injury precludes you from working.

There are many circumstances that can result in a premises liability case, including:

• Unnatural accumulations of snow, water, or ice on walkways or stairs
• Uneven stairs
• Obstructions in walkways or protruding into aisles
• Poorly or insufficiently lit grounds
• Insufficient security
• Failure to post hazard or safety signs
• Escalator or elevator-related injuries

If you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, it is worth speaking with a premises liability lawyer in Chicago familiar with handling these kinds of cases. They will be able to identify if you have grounds for a suit and for what related expenses you may seek compensation.

Time is of the essence to preserve and obtain possible video or photographic evidence of the accident or the defect.

Illinois premises liability law primarily serves to protect individuals who are on another person’s property either by invitation for mutual gain or benefit (these are known as “invitees” and often include mail delivery workers, customers, etc.), or individuals who are there for their own entertainment or socializing (also known as “licensees”). A property owner owes a specific duty of care to these types of visitors.

Anyone who does not fall into either of these two categories is considered a “trespasser,” and will most likely have a harder time proving a premises liability claim against the property owner. The only duty of care owed to trespassers is to prevent inflicting willful or careless injury on trespassers.

Premises liability claims can include any instance of injury that results from a home or business owner’s negligence. You may have a premises liability claim if you were injured on another person’s property and believe the owner’s negligence to be the cause.

Evidence of a premises liability claim can include any documentation that demonstrates a property owner’s failure to repair known hazards, their lack of sufficient security, or other examples of negligence in property maintenance.

Premises liability is a broad legal area that includes a multitude of claim types. If the cause of an injury can be attributed to negligent and unsafe property maintenance, it could qualify as a premises liability claim. Because premises liability claims are defined by the cause of injury rather than the result, the details of incidents can vary widely.

Some examples of premises liability claims are:

• Slip and fall accidents
• Swimming pool accidents
• Inadequate security
• Work-related incidents
• Car accidents (in which the cause is negligent road or property maintenance)

In the state of Illinois, cases of injury caused by ice and snow are considered as slip and fall accidents. Slip and fall accident claims are regulated by state personal injury laws.

People who are injured in a slip and fall accident could be entitled to compensation from liable parties. In cases of falls caused by ice and snow, the people responsible for clearing the affected area (municipalities, maintenance workers, and property owners) could be liable for damages. Claimants in slip and fall cases may have their financial recovery impacted by the state’s modified comparative negligence rule, which reduces compensation according to the plaintiff’s degree of fault. A plaintiff who is found to be 10% at fault for their own injury would have their compensation reduced by that amount. If a plaintiff is over 50% liable for their injuries, they are not entitled to any compensation under Illinois law.

In general, personal injury claims in Illinois must be filed within two years after the date of an incident.

At McHargue & Jones, LLC, we believe every injured client deserves personal attention — not to be treated like a case number. Our Illinois premises liability lawyers take the time to understand your story, investigate your case, and fight aggressively for results. We offer a free case review, and you pay nothing unless we win compensation for you.