If you have suffered from a slip and fall injury on another party’s property, you may be wondering whether you are eligible for a premises liability claim. This may depend if you are considered an invitee, licensee, or otherwise. Read on to discover what the difference is between an invitee and a licensee and how one of the seasoned Panama City slip & fall accident attorneys at Manuel & Thompson can help with your legal strategy.
What is the difference between an invitee and a licensee in a premises liability claim?
For one, an invitee is considered to be an individual who is invited onto another party’s property for business or commercial reasons. On the other hand, a licensee is considered to be an individual who enters another party’s property for non-business or non-commercial reasons (i.e., social gatherings).
What is considered a “duty of care”?
Importantly, all property owners hold a “duty of care” to keep their property in a reasonably safe condition. And so, you may be eligible for a premises liability claim if you are able to prove the following as true:
- There was a dangerous condition on another party’s property.
- This dangerous property condition was either created by the property owner, recognized by the property owner, or should have been recognized by the property owner.
- The property owner did not take action toward repairing this dangerous property condition in a timely manner.
- You suffered injuries and damages as a direct result of this dangerous property condition.
As far as invitees versus licensees, the state of Florida views that a property owner has a duty of care regardless of what the outside party is considered. In fact, there are also certain circumstances in which a property owner has a duty of care to an outside party who trespasses on their property.
What is the statute of limitations for a premises liability claim?
Once you conclude that you qualify for a premises liability claim, you will want to bring your claim forward as soon as possible. With your claim, you will also be required to provide sufficient evidence that proves the property owner’s duty of care, your injuries and damages, etc.
The reasoning behind this urgency is that there is a specific deadline for premises liability claims in the state of Florida. Otherwise known as the statute of limitations, this deadline is generally four years from the date of your slip and fall.
So, if you are ready to kickstart your claim, you must seek legal representation from one of the Panama City personal injury attorneys. Pick up the phone and schedule your initial consultation with us today.
