If you were injured on someone else’s property, Colorado’s premises liability laws may provide a pathway for you to recover compensation from a negligent property owner. An experienced Greeley personal injury lawyer can review your accident’s circumstances and explain how the law applies to your situation.
What Are a Colorado Property Owner’s Legal Duties?
Unlike many other states that rely on case law and an analysis of whether landowners acted negligently in allowing visitors to be injured on their property, Colorado law explicitly defines property owners’ responsibilities. These responsibilities are based on the status of the injured visitor, as follows:
Invitees: Under Colorado law, an invitee is someone who enters or remains on another’s property to transact business in which they and the property owner are mutually interested or upon the landowner’s express or implied representation that the public is requested, expected, or intended to enter or remain on the property.
Because invitees are on the property for the owner’s benefit, property owners owe invitees the highest duty of care. They can be held liable if a licensee is injured due to the property owner’s unreasonable failure to exercise reasonable care to protect them from dangers the property owner knew about or should have known about.
Licensees: A licensee enters or remains on someone else’s property for their own convenience or interests with the property owner’s consent. This definition includes social guests. Licensees can recover for damages caused by the landowner’s unreasonable failure to exercise reasonable care regarding dangers the landowner created and actually knew about or their unreasonable failure to warn of dangers that are not ordinarily present on the type of property involved that the landowner actually knew about.
Trespassers: A trespasser enters or remains on the property without the owner’s consent. Trespassers are only allowed to recover for damages occurring on the property for injuries the landowner willfully or deliberately caused.
Your classification as an invitee, licensee, or trespasser is critical to establishing the property owner’s legal responsibility and your right to compensation. An experienced premises liability attorney can help establish these elements of your claim.
Financial Compensation You Can Recover in a Premises Liability Claim
If the property owner is responsible for your injuries, you can seek compensation for the damages you sustained as a result of your injuries. These damages will depend on the losses you suffered from the accident. Examples of recoverable damages in premises liability cases include:
- Medical expenses, including emergency transportation and treatment, hospital stays, surgeries, continued medical treatment, follow-up care, medication, and medical devices
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages, including lost wages, salaries, overtime pay, bonuses, commissions, and employment benefits
- Reduced long-term earning capacity if the injuries prevent you from returning to your previous employment or you’re unable to perform your job duties
- Pain and suffering and other non-economic damages
A lawyer experienced in handling premises liability claims can help determine the damages you are entitled to and their value.
Contact an Experienced Premises Liability Lawyer for a Free and Confidential Consultation
If you were injured on someone else’s property, you could be suffering substantial physical, mental, and financial harm. An experienced premises liability lawyer can help identify the parties responsible for your injuries, their legal responsibilities, and their knowledge regarding these dangers to help build your case. We pursue maximum compensation for our clients based on these factors. Contact Dulin McQuinn Young today to schedule a free case review.