Slip and fall injuries are governed by premises liability, the legal precept that determines who is at fault when a person suffers an injury while on the property of another person. Specifically, premises liability is used to examine two questions: (1) did the owner take reasonable precautions to ensure the property was safe, and (2) did the victim act carelessly. In slip and fall cases, fault is not easily determined. The “reasonability” standard applies to the victim and property owner alike. The property owner may claim he took reasonable precautions, despite the fact that a person was injured. Furthermore, if the victim entered an area of the property he was not supposed to enter, or if he was acting recklessly, the property owner may be exonerated. Many defenses and arguments can convolute what seemed like a cut-and-dry case. Our experienced and talented personal injury attorneys in Seattle, Washington will sort through the complicated myriad of facts and represent your interests truthfully and aggressively.

If any of these circumstances apply, the property owner is more likely to be liable:

• The owner created a hazardous condition on the premises.
• The owner knew about a perilous condition on the premises and failed to rectify it.
• The owner should have been cognizant of the unsafe condition because any reasonable person would have been aware.

Determining guilt in a slip and fall personal injury case is a hazy matter made even more unclear by several exceptions that could potentially limit the property owner’s legal liability. Among the categories of exceptions are trespassers, children, and government property.