Knowledgeable Virginia Slip and Fall Attorneys Advocate for Injured Clients

Dedicated lawyers advise Hampton Roads residents about premises liability claims

Whether it’s a store or private home, you don’t expect to be injured when you’re welcomed on to someone else’s premises. But when hazardous conditions exist, falls and other accidents can happen. At Hunter Law Firm, our Virginia attorneys pursue compensation for people who have been seriously hurt after slipping, tripping and falling due to the carelessness of property owners. For the convenience of clients, we have five office locations in Hampton, Gloucester, Chesapeake and Newport News,

Duty of care in premises liability cases

Virginia law classifies visitors injured on another’s property in three ways. What duty of care the property owner or manager owes in a given situation depends on the category the guest belongs to. These classifications are:

• Invitees — When you are welcomed into a store, restaurant or other public place, either expressly or impliedly, you are considered an invitee. The premises owner who has extended the invitation has a duty of care to make sure their property is reasonably safe for visitors. If you fall and are injured and the owner knew, or should have known, about the hazard, you may be able to hold them liable for your injuries.
• Licensees — A licensee is someone who visits a property for their own benefit with the consent of the property owner, such as a houseguest or a hiker who is allowed onto land someone else owns. Property owners have a duty to warn licensees about hazards of which they are aware, but they do not have a duty to look for hazards or correct them before allowing licensees onto their premises.
• Trespassers — In general, property owners do not owe a duty of care to trespassers and are not liable if they are injured.

A premises liability claim might involve disagreement regarding the duty of care that was owed and whether the defendant met the legal standard. If you slipped and fell and were seriously hurt at a business, residence or another property and believe it was due to the negligence of the property owner, our personal injury attorneys can advise you about whether you are likely to receive a financial recovery.

Contributory negligence in slip and fall cases

Virginia uses a strict contributory negligence rule in personal injury cases, including in premises liability claims. What this means is that if the defendant convinces the jury that that you share any amount of responsibility for your own accident, no matter how small the percentage, you will not be able to collect any compensation. The at-fault party might claim that you were looking at your cell phone when you tripped and fell and not at the ground around you. Or they may claim you had wandered onto an off-limits area of the property. There are various ways the property owner, their insurance company or their attorney might try to shift some blame to you. Our assertive litigation attorneys understand the defenses property owners employ when their carelessness causes accidents and injuries. We will work hard to establish that the property owner was solely responsible.

Get help from skillful Virginia lawyers when you have fallen and been injured

Hunter Law Firm helps Virginians in the Hampton Roads area file premises liability claims against property owners whose negligence causes accidents and injuries. To schedule a consultation, call our firm at 757-825-0400 or contact us online.