Category: Premises Liability

Your landlord may be liable for your injuries or may not be. It depends on the circumstances of your accident. Accidents in a rental house or apartment are not uncommon – most accidents occur in the home. Some common conditions that can lead to accidents involving injuries include slippery or hazardous floors, broken stairs or stair railings, broken or missing smoke or fire detectors, and missing gates around a pool, among others. If you rent a home, and you have an accident as a result of an unsafe condition, your landlord may be liable.  

Landlords have a duty to inspect any rental house or apartment prior to the lease to make sure the unit is reasonably safe from any dangerous conditions. If the landlord knows of a dangerous condition, the landlord has a duty to fix the condition or make the tenant aware of the condition. If the landlord knew or should have known about a dangerous condition on the property and failed to fix it or disclose it to the tenant and the tenant or a guest of the tenant is harmed as a result, the landlord can be held liable.  

If a dangerous condition develops on the property during the lease, and the tenant reports it to the landlord, the landlord must repair it in a reasonable time. What is a reasonable time depends on how dangerous the condition is as well as other factors. The landlord must also keep the property in line with housing codes.  

Landlords are not responsible for all dangerous conditions at rental properties, however. If a condition develops during a lease that the landlord is not aware of, and the tenant does not tell the landlord and is later harmed, the landlord is not liable.

If you have been harmed by a dangerous condition at a rental property, you should speak to an attorney about your legal rights and options. If you are in Los Angeles, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles premises liability attorney at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

If you have slipped and fallen at the home of a friend or family member in Los Angeles, you may wonder if you can recover compensation for your injuries. Legally, yes, individuals injured in a fall on someone else’s property can seek damages from the property owner, even if the property owner is a friend or family member.

Legally, property owners have a duty to keep their property safe and well-maintained for visitors. Visitors include guests who have been invited over to the home. If a property owner fails to keep the property safe, he or she can be held legally liable for damages such as medical expenses, compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, and more.

Receiving compensation from the property owner typically means filing a personal injury lawsuit against the property owner. You may be reluctant to do that if the accident occurred at a family member’s or a friend’s house. However, keep in mind that in most cases the damages and costs of defending the lawsuit will be paid by an insurance company, not by your friend or family member.

To be successful in your lawsuit, you must show that the property owner was legally liable for your injuries. This typically involves conducting an investigation. You must be able to show that the host owed you a duty of care, the host breached that duty to you, and that you suffered damages as a result.

Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles premises liability attorney if you have fallen at the home of a friend or family member. My team can help. Call us at 310-385-0567 to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Stairs can easily cause accidents, even when they are in good condition and have no defects. If a stairway is poorly built or is in a state of disrepair, it can be very dangerous. Some experts say that there are roughly one million emergency room visits in the U.S. every year due to falls on stairs. Some of the falls are obviously caused by the negligence of the person climbing the stairs, but many other accidents occur because of poor maintenance, slippery surfaces, bad lighting, or similar causes.

Most people do not pay much attention on stairways. Our bodies expect the stairs to be built a certain way, and the body uses a standard stride when walking up and down stairs. If a staircase is poorly built, however, and there are differences in the measurement of the depth of the risers or the width of the stairway, the stairs can be very dangerous. The eye may not perceive the variations, but they can contribute to stairway falls. There are very strict regulations on how stairways are to be constructed, and if there are variations the construction company and/or the building’s owner may be legally responsible.

Another very common cause of stairway falls is slippery surfaces. Falls are more likely to happen if the surface of the stairs is slippery. Poor maintenance can also contribute to stairway falls. If the stairs are not properly maintained, such as with defective railings or loose railings, the owner is responsible for any accidents that occur as a result.

If you have been injured in a fall on the stairs in a public place or on another person’s property in Los Angeles, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

I am sorry to hear about your injury. Figuring out who is responsible for an accident that occurs in a mall or shopping center can be complicated. You should speak with an attorney who can advise you on which parties may be held responsible, and the best course of action to take with the case. If you have been harmed in an accident in a mall or shopping center, you should speak with an attorney as soon as possible.

Normally, the legal entity that owns and operates the mall has a duty to ensure the safety of all of the customers who enter the premises. However, store owners also have a duty to their customers. They must repair any dangerous conditions that they know about or should know about that could pose a threat to the safety of their shoppers. If the store’s owner is aware of a dangerous condition inside the store and fails to take any steps to fix that dangerous condition, the store will most likely be forced to pay for the damages of any customer who is injured in the store.

An attorney can help you determine liability in a shopping mall accident case. If the accident occurred within a store, you likely will have to sue the store’s owner for damages. If the accident occurred in a parking lot or common area of the shopping center, the owner of the mall or shopping center may be responsible. In other cases, it may be clear that the store owner has been negligent in maintaining a store’s premises.

A Los Angeles premises liability attorney can help you determine who is responsible for the accident, as well as the best way to proceed with the case. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles premises liability attorney at 310-385-0567 if you have been harmed in an accident in a shopping mall. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

You may be able to sue the property owner for your injuries if the stairs were in poor condition and if the poor condition of the stairs was the cause of your fall. Every year in the U.S. there are over a million emergency room visits due to falls on the stairs. Although in some cases the accidents occur through no fault of the property owner, in other cases the falls are caused by bad lighting, improper maintenance of construction, or slippery surfaces. In those cases, the victim may want to speak with an attorney about his or her legal options.

If a stairway is not properly built, it can easily cause an accident. Even a very small difference in width or depth of the stairs or the stairway can have very dangerous results. Those variations may be unperceivable to the eye but can throw off a person’s balance. One study found that a large majority of stairways that had fall accidents had measurement variations. Building codes in Los Angeles have strict regulations on stairway constriction, especially for commercial buildings.

There can also be other reasons that a fall on a stairway may occur. The stairway may have had obstructions, it may be slippery, or may need maintenance. If you have been harmed because of a dangerous staircase in Los Angeles, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles premises liability attorney at 310-385-0567. I can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule your free consultation.

Accidents involving balcony railings are not that unusual. Although balcony railings are meant to protect visitors from falls and injuries, many apartment building owners do not take the proper steps to ensure their residents’ balconies and railings are safe.

Normally, visitors to and residents of apartment buildings assume that the property is maintained and is safe. Therefore, when a railing fails or a balcony collapses, the victim is usually caught off guard. Over time, wear and tear, weather conditions, and neglect can cause railings and balconies to become unsafe and eventually fail.

In many cases, when an accident occurs involving a balcony, the injuries suffered are very serious. The balcony may be very high, and there may be dangerous objects on the ground. The victim may suffer broken or shattered bones, back and spine injuries, internal organ damage, brain injuries, and even death.

All apartment complexes owe a duty of care to their residents and visitors to keep the property safe. If the property owner fails to keep residents and visitors safe, the property owner can be held legally liable for damages, including for medical expenses, permanent disability, pain and suffering, time missed from work, and more.

If you have been harmed in a balcony or railing accident in Los Angeles that was due to the negligence of another party, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles premises liability attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

When the weather turns cold, typically we hear about a tragedy involving a person or a family who was killed or seriously injured by carbon monoxide poisoning. This normally happens when their furnace malfunctions or is not properly vented outside.

Carbon monoxide is often referred to as a “silent killer”. It has no odor, taste, or color, and it is deadly. It is released when fossil fuels are burned in oil or gas furnaces. When the gas is inhaled, it combines with hemoglobin in the individual’s blood, which blocks the ability to carry oxygen to the cells of the body. This can cause the body to begin to suffocate, even though the person is still breathing. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be treated by removing the person from the gas, or by giving them oxygen. However, in some cases that does not happen quickly enough, and the person may die from carbon monoxide exposure.

If you were exposed to carbon monoxide in your apartment, your landlord may be held legally responsible, depending on the circumstances of what happened. Because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, it cannot be easily detected. If an apartment building used gas or oil furnaces, the landlord should install carbon monoxide detectors. They are not expensive and can help prevent a tragedy. The landlord should also have chimneys, furnaces, and fireplaces inspected regularly. In some cases, the landlord is not to blame. The heater or furnace may have been improperly installed or defectively designed or manufactured. In that case, you may be able to hold another company liable for your injuries.

If you have been injured by carbon monoxide in Los Angeles, you should speak with an attorney. You have legal rights that need to be protected. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.

Although carnival and amusement park rides are designed to be exciting and fun, they can at times result in dangerous and even deadly accidents when the rides malfunction or if they are not properly operated. Unfortunately, children are most susceptible to injuries from carnival rides. It’s been estimated that about two-thirds of all amusement ride accidents involve toddlers, preschoolers, or young children.

Although safety rules are in place, they are not always followed. If the carnival is a travelling one, rather than a permanent one, safety lapses may occur. It is the responsibility of the carnival owners and operators to keep their riders safe. However, parents have a responsibility as well to reduce the odds of an accident. Parents should pay attention so they can make decisions on which rides are safe for their children – they should not rely on the ride’s operators to determine if the child is not the correct size for the ride. Also, children can become scared or excited on rides, and may not necessarily act in a responsible manner. It is important to teach children about how to be a safe rider, as well as to provide supervision on the rides.

If your child is harmed on a carnival ride because of safety lapses with the ride, your child may be entitled to compensation for his or her injuries. Your child may be entitled to medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more. Call me, Los Angeles personal injury attorney Conal Doyle at 310-385-0567. My team can help you and will provide you with a free consultation on your case. Call today to learn more.

I’m so sorry to hear about your burns. Burns can be so traumatic because they can leave both physical and emotional scars. They are also very painful. If you were burned as a result of a negligent property manager or building owner, you may be able to recover compensation for your injuries. You should speak with an attorney who can guide you on the best course of action.

One of the risks of apartment living is that you can be hurt or suffer other negative consequences through no fault of your own. Landlords and neighbors may take risks or act irresponsibly, which can result in you being hurt, even though you may have taken all of the precautions you could to avoid a fire.

Legally, it’s the responsibility of the property owners and managers to take every reasonable action they can to reduce the risk of a fire, as well as to keep their buildings up to code, in order to protect the safety of their tenants. They must make sure the property is correctly wired, maintain smoke detectors, keep fire escapes free from clutter, and provide fire extinguishers. If they do not take the correct actions and a fire occurs, they can be held legally responsible. In some cases, the responsible party may pressure fire victims into keeping the matter quiet in order to avoid the financial liability.

If you have been burned in a fire in an apartment building, you should speak with an attorney. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles premises liability attorney at 310-385-0567. My team can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation on your case.

Just like other businesses and establishments open to the public, railroads are responsible for maintaining safe stations in order to prevent injuries to visitors. If you have suffered an injury in a Los Angeles train station because of dangerous conditions at the train station, you should speak to an experienced premises liability attorney. You may be entitled to compensation from the railroad for your injuries.

It’s not uncommon for train stations and train platforms to be poorly maintained. There may be slippery surfaces from rain or spills which can lead to falls. Escalators and elevators may not be properly maintained. The trains themselves may not be safe, which can lead to accidents. Finally, many train stations are located in dangerous areas. The railroad may not provide the proper security, which can lead to assaults and other dangerous crimes.

If you have been injured in a Los Angeles train station, you may be entitled to compensation for your accident. Typically, accident victims are entitled to compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, medical expenses, and more.

If you have been injured in an accident or an attack in a Los Angeles train station, you should speak with an experienced attorney. An experienced Los Angeles personal injury law firm can help build a strong case for you. Call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles train station accident attorney at 310-385-0567. We can help investigate the cause of the accident, collect evidence to build a strong case for you, negotiate with insurance companies, and ultimately take the case to trial if needed. Call today to schedule a consultation on your case.