Property owners have a responsibility to maintain safe spaces for the people who visit their homes, businesses, and rental properties. When hazards are ignored or left unaddressed, the consequences can include broken bones, head injuries, or other long-term medical complications.
Premises liability laws exist to hold property owners accountable when unsafe conditions lead to preventable harm. At New Mexico Accident Firm (NMAF), we understand how disruptive these incidents can be for individuals and families. Our attorneys were born and raised in this community, and we take pride in helping local residents understand their legal options after serious accidents.
When you go to your neighbor’s house for a backyard barbecue, you should not have to worry about needing to go to the emergency room after getting bitten by your neighbor’s dog. Similarly, when you go grocery shopping, you should not have to worry about slipping on a freshly mopped floor and breaking your wrist. If you experienced an injury on someone else’s property, you might be able to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation for your losses. A seasoned Albuquerque premises liability lawyer could help you understand your legal options. Our personal injury attorneys are ready to support your claim.
Anyone who legally visits another person’s property, such as a guest, customer, client, tenant, repair worker, or mail delivery carrier, should expect that the property will not harm them. People who own, rent, manage, care for, or maintain property owe a duty of care to keep that premises in a reasonably safe condition for legal visitors. The duty of care to maintain a property does not generally extend to trespassers who illegally visit a property. However, if a child wanders onto someone else’s land and experiences harm due to an attractive nuisance, such as an unfenced swimming pool or outdoor trampoline, the property’s owner might be legally responsible for that child trespasser’s injuries.
If someone believes they might have viable grounds to pursue a premises liability lawsuit, they should consult with a knowledgeable Albuquerque attorney who could review the facts of their accident and help them determine if it is in their best interest to pursue a legal claim.
Property owners, landlords, tenants, business managers, and other caretakers should maintain their premises. The buildings and land on someone’s property should not have any hidden hazardous conditions on them that could cause an unsuspecting visitor to experience harm.
Some of the dangerous conditions that can lead to injuries are as follows:
An experienced legal team could help an injured individual determine what caused their injury and search for evidence to hold the property’s owner or caretaker legally responsible for failing to maintain their property. A trusted Albuquerque attorney could help an individual injured in a premises liability accident obtain the compensation they need.
Filing a premises liability claim typically begins with documenting what happened and identifying the condition that caused the injury. After an accident occurs, it is often helpful to report the incident to the property owner, landlord, or business manager so that a record of the event exists. Photographs of the hazardous condition, contact information for witnesses, and medical records describing the injury can all become important pieces of evidence.
Once the injury has been documented, an attorney may review the circumstances surrounding the accident. This often involves examining maintenance records, security footage, or incident reports to determine whether the property owner knew—or should have known—about the dangerous condition. In some cases, investigators may also evaluate how long the hazard existed and whether reasonable steps were taken to correct it.
At New Mexico Accident Firm, we regularly work with individuals throughout Albuquerque who have been injured because of unsafe property conditions. Our team carefully reviews the details of each case to determine how the incident occurred and whether a premises liability claim may be appropriate under state law.
A premises liability claim is designed to address the losses that follow an injury caused by unsafe property conditions. Depending on the circumstances, injured individuals may be able to pursue several types of damages.
Economic damages typically involve measurable financial losses connected to the accident. These may include medical expenses, hospital treatment, rehabilitation costs, and lost income if the injury prevents someone from returning to work for a period of time. In some cases, individuals may also require future medical treatment or therapy, which can be considered when evaluating damages.
Non-economic damages may address the personal effects of an injury that are not tied directly to financial records. These damages may involve physical pain, emotional distress, reduced mobility, or the ways an injury changes a person’s daily life. Serious premises liability accidents can affect a person’s ability to participate in hobbies, perform physical tasks, or enjoy normal activities with family and friends.
The specific damages available in a case depend on the facts surrounding the incident and the severity of the injuries involved. Our premises liability attorneys at NMAF review medical records, accident reports, and other evidence to understand how the injury has affected our clients and their families in Albuquerque.
Like many legal claims, premises liability cases are subject to filing deadlines under New Mexico law. Courts refer to this filing deadline as the statute of limitations. In many situations, individuals who were injured on someone else’s property generally have three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit.
While three years may seem like a long period of time, evidence can become more difficult to obtain as months pass. Witness memories may fade, property conditions may change, and important records may become harder to locate. For this reason, many people choose to speak with an attorney sooner rather than later after an accident occurs.
An attorney can help review the timeline of the incident and determine how the statute of limitations may apply to the situation. At New Mexico Accident Firm, our lawyers help individuals in Albuquerque understand these legal deadlines and what steps may be available after a premises liability accident.
Unexpected accidents on other people’s property can result in significant injuries. The people responsible for failing to adequately maintain the property where the accident occurred should also be responsible for paying for the cost of your injuries.
Contact a determined Albuquerque premises liability lawyer today to get started on the fight for your recovery.
