Houston Slip & Fall Attorneys | Houston Trip & Fall Attorneys | Houston Trip & Fall Accident Attorney
Houston Premise Liability Lawyer
Houston slip and fall lawyers, Houston premises liability lawyers, and other Harris County premises liability lawyers serve clients in all types of injury and accident cases across the Houston area. These accidents can result from a variety of causes and conditions and a variety of factors will be involved in determining whether you are entitled to monetary recovery under the law.
What is Premises Liability and how can a Houston slip & fall accident affect you?
In layman’s terms, a “slip and fall” or “trip and fall” injury refers to an accident that results in personal injury on the property of another, usually due to some negligent maintenance or construction of the property or structures thereon. However, in a legal sense, these types of injuries fall under a broad body of law known as Premises Liability. Other common types of premises liability cases involve accidents such as falling merchandise not adequately secured by a store owner, or a dangerous condition on land, left open to children or to the public without an adequate warning. These types of accidents occur due to the negligence of Houston landowners, store owners, construction sites and businesses across Harris County, Texas. If you have been injured in a Houston Slip & Fall accident, contact an experienced Texas premises liability lawyer today.
Why Should You Obtain a Houston Slip & Fall Attorney?
Houston personal injury lawyers cover slip and fall litigation because cases in this area center on the issue of negligence. A well-qualified Houston or Harris County premises liability lawyer will be experienced with this difficult area of law and know how best to navigate the legal system to your advantage.
How Long Do You Have To Contact a Houston Slip & Fall Attorney?
In Texas, a “Statute of Limitations” sets the deadline for filing personal injury actions, such as premises liability claims, at two (2) years. Thus, you must either settle your claim or have a lawsuit filed in a Harris County District Court within two years from the date you were injured or your claim will be time barred.
Houston Premises Liability Law — The Basics
When you or a family member slips and falls on someone else’s land and sustains a personal injury, they may be entitled to monetary compensation if a dangerous or preventable condition is to blame. If you or a loved one has been injured due to a slip and fall accident or another accident caused by a dangerous condition, a Houston premises liability attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve.
As noted, premises liability actions are based in negligence, or legal fault. The injury must be “caused” by a “condition” upon the land (or building located upon the land) at issue. To be liable for negligence under Texas law, there must be:
- A special duty of care existing between the injured party and the negligent party;
- A breach of that duty; and
- The negligence must be the “proximate cause,” or legal cause, of the victim’s injuries and damages.
One recent change in Texas Premise Liability law can be found in the adoption of Chapter 95 of Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, which completely protects a property owner from an injured party’s claims, if the claims is based upon the negligence of a contractor or sub-contractor, unless the owner:
- Exercised control over the manner in which the Contractor's work is performed;
- Had actual knowledge of the dangerous condition resulting in the personal injury, death, or property damage; and
- The property owner failed to give an adequate warning.
- 95.001. Definitions;
- 95.002. Applicability;
- 95.003. Liability for Acts of Independent Contractors; and
- 95.004. Evidence Admissible
This is a very tough burden of proof to carry and it is nearly impossible for an average Houston citizen to be successful without the competent and aggressive representation of a Houston Premises Liability Lawyer who knows the ins-and-outs of Texas' premises liability law as well as the various Houston and Harris County Courts.
Criminal Acts of Rape, Assault and Murder — Is the Land Owner or Occupier Liable?
When the injury is the intentional act of a third party that injures a Houston resident on areas such as apartment properties, mall parking lots, drive-thru lanes at fast food restaurants, ATM machines, or the like. Unfortunately, intentional acts such as these occur in Houston and Harris County, Texas more often than many of us realize. In these cases, the legal issue turns upon whether the action that gave rise to the victim’s injury was foreseeable and whether reasonable steps could have been taken to prevent such activity on their property. Essentially, the relevant question is whether the Houston property owner could have done anything to make the area more safe that might have prevented the crime from occurring in the first place.
Harris County accident lawyers often need to research the criminal complaints or calls made to the Houston Police Department regarding the particular piece of property at issue. Also, there may have been a number of “property crimes” in an area, such as car break-ins, but no violent crime calls. Thus, if someone is raped or beaten for the first time in an area, it may be hard to hold the defendant-property owner liable despite the calls made to the police regarding car break-ins. A qualified Houston premises rape attorney, however, will work hard to make the necessarily legal arguments on your behalf and get you the settlement you deserve.
Houston Premises Liability Trial Lawyers Practice in Harris County Courts
Houston injury lawyers are experienced in handling slip & fall premises liability cases in both federal and state courts across the Houston area. Just a few of the many courts in which Houston injury lawyers typically try cases are:
|
Harris County 157th Civil District Court
Harris County 164th Civil District Court
Harris County 190th Civil District Court |
Harris County 215th Civil District Court
Harris County 270th Civil District Court
Harris County Multi-District Litigation Civil Court |
The Harris County Civil District Courts for Houston are located at 201 Caroline Street, Floors 8 through 14, Houston, TX 77002
Hospitals in the Houston Area
|
Ben Taub General Hospital
Doctors Hospital Tidwell
Houston Northwest Medical Center
Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital Medical Center
St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital |
Texas Children's Hospital
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR)
The Menninger Clinic
The University of Texas Medical Branch
The Woman's Hospital of Texas |
Houston Emergency Services Contact Information
Houston EMS or Houston Fire Department (HFD
500 Jefferson, Suite 1500
Houston, Texas 77002
(713) 495-4200
Slip & Fall Accident Lawyers in Houston Serve:
Clients throughout Southeastern Texas, including Aldine, Baytown, Bellaire, Beaumont, Channelview, Cloverleaf, Conroe, Deer Park, Friendswood, Galena Park, Galveston, Hedwig Village, Highlands, Hilshire Village, Humble, Jacinto City, Katy, League City, Magnolia, Mission Bend, Missouri City, Pasadena, Pearland, Porter, Sealy, South Houston, Spring Valley, Stafford, The Meadows, The Woodlands, Waller, West University, and other communities in Fort Bend County, Harris County, and Montgomery County.