Carrollton Premises Liability Lawyer

A trip to the grocery store or an afternoon at a friend’s apartment complex should not end with a trip to the emergency room. Property owners in Carrollton have a duty to keep their spaces free of hazards that could hurt visitors. Still, many hazards go unnoticed or unfixed until someone gets hurt. If you suffered an injury on someone else’s property in the Carrollton area, you may have the right to seek compensation for what happened to you.

At Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., our premises liability lawyers have served injury victims throughout West Georgia for over 30 years. We bring more than 85 years of combined legal experience in personal injury law to every unsafe property injury claim we handle, and we treat every client like family. Contact our office today for a free consultation with a trip-and-fall lawyer to learn about your rights and options.

How Our Carrollton Premises Liability Lawyers Can Help

A premises liability claim requires fast action and careful preparation. Our goal is to make the legal process easier for you while building the strongest case possible. The steps that an experienced and dedicated premises liability attorney from Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., can take on your behalf include:

• Investigating the scene and preserving evidence – Property conditions change fast. A wet floor gets mopped up, and merchandise gets picked up off the ground. Our team will move quickly to determine what the scene looked like at the time of your injury.
• Securing incident reports, video footage, and witness statements – Many businesses and apartment complexes keep surveillance video and require staff to complete incident reports. We will request this evidence before it disappears and speak with anyone who saw what happened.
• Working with medical records and experts – We will gather your medical records to show the full extent of your injuries. When needed, we can also consult medical experts who can connect your injuries to the property hazard that caused them.
• Negotiating with insurance companies – Insurance adjusters often attempt to settle valid personal injury lawsuits for less than they are worth, especially when they are dealing with unrepresented claimants. Our lawyers will handle all communication with the insurance company and negotiate firmly on your behalf.
• Keeping you informed throughout your case – We never want you to be in the dark about the progress of your premises liability claim. We will consistently provide updates and be available to answer your questions. You will never be just a case number when you work with our Carrollton personal injury lawyers.

What Is Premises Liability?

Premises liability is the area of law that holds property owners responsible when they fail to keep their property reasonably safe. Under Georgia law, property owners who invite the public onto their land must inspect for hazards, fix problems they find, and warn visitors about dangers they cannot fix right away. When an owner ignores this duty and someone gets hurt, the injured person may have grounds for an injury compensation claim.

Common Premises Liability Accidents in Carrollton

Property hazards can show up almost anywhere. Some of the most common premises liability accidents we see include:

• Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents – These accidents occur when a walkway, floor, or step creates an unexpected hazard for someone walking through the area.
• Wet floors, uneven surfaces, and poor lighting – These conditions make it hard for visitors to see or safely avoid a hazard before it is too late.
• Falling merchandise and unsafe store conditions – Stacked or unsecured items can fall on shoppers, especially during a grocery store slip-and-fall or other retail accident.
• Apartment injuries and negligent maintenance – Broken stairs, faulty railings, and ignored repair requests can lead to serious injuries for tenants and guests.
• Negligent security, assaults, and parking lot incidents – Poor lighting, broken locks, and inadequate security can leave visitors vulnerable to harm in parking lots and common areas.
• Dog bites, pool injuries, and other hazardous property conditions – Property owners who fail to control dangerous animals or maintain pool areas can put visitors at serious risk.

What You Must Prove in a Georgia Premises Liability Case

Every premises liability case in Georgia depends on a few key facts. Our Carrollton premises liability lawyers will work to establish critical facts that include:

• The property owner had a duty of care to keep the premises safe – Most property owners who invite the public onto their land must take reasonable steps to keep that space safe for visitors.
• The dangerous condition existed long enough or was known – We can show whether the property owner knew about the hazard, or that the hazard existed long enough that a reasonable inspection should have caught it.
• The hazard caused your injury – We can connect the specific hazard directly to the injury you suffered, using evidence, witness accounts, and expert opinions when needed.
• Your injuries created measurable losses – Finally, we will document your medical bills, lost income, and other losses directly tied to your injuries.

Compensation Available After a Property Injury

The injuries that people suffer due to dangerous property conditions can be life-changing, including broken bones, spinal injury, and traumatic brain injury. Many victims face chronic pain. Every case is different. Our goal is to pursue maximum compensation for injury victims in Carrollton premises liability cases due to the severe injuries they have suffered, including:

• Medical expenses and costs of future medical treatment
• Lost wages
• Reduced ability to work
• Pain, suffering, and daily life disruption
• Permanent impairment or long-term injuries

Georgia Statute of Limitations for Premises Liability Claims

Georgia law gives injury victims two years from the date of the incident to file a premises liability claim and pursue compensation for their losses. This deadline is called the statute of limitations. Waiting too long can cost you the right to seek compensation altogether, and it may cost you the ability to preserve and collect evidence before it is lost or destroyed. So, it will help you to speak with a lawyer at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., as soon as possible. We can immediately gather evidence to support your premises liability claim.

Frequently Asked Questions

Some of the most common questions we receive when working on premises liability cases in Carrollton include:

What Should I Do After a Fall or Injury?

Seek medical attention right away. Report the incident to the property owner or manager, take photos of the area if you can, and avoid signing anything from an insurance company before you talk with a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer.

What if I Was Partly at Fault?

Georgia law allows you to recover compensation if you are found to be less than 50 percent at fault. Our lawyers will fight any attempts by an insurance company to place undue blame on you.

Do I Have a Case if There Was No Warning Sign?

Possibly. A missing warning sign is only one factor in a premises liability case. The bigger question is whether the property owner knew, or should have known, about the hazard and failed to fix it.

How Much Is My Premises Liability Case Worth?

The value of your case depends on the severity of your injuries, the medical care you need, the income you lost, and how the accident has changed your daily life. We will review your specific situation before giving you an honest estimate.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Lawyer?

Our premises liability lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you in our personal injury claim.

Contact a Carrollton Premises Liability Lawyer

At Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., our Carrollton personal injury attorneys have served injury victims throughout West Georgia for more than 30 years, including those who have suffered harm due to a property owner’s negligence. Contact our office today for a free consultation with a Carrollton premises liability lawyer and let our team start working for you.