San Francisco Attorney Discusses Negligence and Personal Injury
Landlords and property managers owe their tenants a level of reasonable care and caution. Prepare to act if your Bay Area landlord fails to meet his or her obligations. You can always contact a personal injury lawyer for information about the careless actions of a landlord, particularly if those actions lead to injury or illness from inadequate security or failure to maintain the property. Negligent behavior, like having poor lighting or defective stairways and handrails, can lead to slips and falls and may serve as a basis for legal action against a property manager.
Ask these three questions to get a sense for whether negligence occurred:
- Was there a foreseeable risk? Your injury attorney may ask you to describe the events that lead up to the accident/injury. Any evidence indicating a landlord should have known about a risk and failed to take action could provide a basis for negligence.
- Was the landlord responsible for mitigating the risk? Examples may include inadequate fencing, failure to maintain building structure, or any other hazard that falls under the legal responsibility of a property management group. Consult a Bay Area accident lawyer for more information about the diverse legal responsibilities your landlord/owner might owe you and any other tenants.
- Was someone harmed directly as a result of the risk? If no one suffered actual injury or real damages, you probably will not be able to pursue a case. Your attorney can help you evaluate the evidence surrounding untimely repairs, inadequate security measures, or other risks that directly or proximately caused illness or injury.
When to Contact a Bay Area Injury Attorney
Anyone who can answer yes to all three of these questions should immediately contact an attorney about legal options. Call our Bay Area lawyers today at (415) 287-6200 to explore whether you can obtain compensation for damages, such as medical bills, time off of work, therapy costs and punitive damages.