Slip and Fall Injuries at Rental Property in Kansas City, Missouri
Slip and fall accidents on rental property can cause severe injuries. Chronic pain, broken bones, back injuries, and head injuries can prevent you from working or taking care of your family. When a fall occurs on rental property in Kansas City or elsewhere in Missouri, the landlord might be liable for costs and damages caused by the fall.
The Kansas City slip and fall attorneys of The Law Office of Kevin J. McManus help you hold a negligent landlord responsible for your slip and fall injury. Call 816-203-0143 to schedule a free consultation with a Kansas City premises liability lawyer today.
Key takeaways you need to know about slip and fall claims in Kansas City:
- Landlords can be liable for slip and fall accidents on rental property
- A Kansas City slip and fall attorney helps you prove liability for rental property injuries
- You can recover compensation for slip and fall injuries at Kansas City rental properties
Landlords Are Liable for Property Conditions in Kansas City
Landlords have a duty to maintain certain property in Kansas and Missouri. If a landlord fails in this duty of care, the landlord could be liable if a tenant or visitor falls or is injured in a rental property accident.
All property owners, including landlords, are required to maintain the property to prevent dangerous and hazardous conditions. The duty includes using a reasonable standard of care to perform general upkeep and make repairs. It also includes the duty to warn tenants and visitors of potential risks and dangers on the property.
Examples of landlord negligence that might lead to a slip and fall injury claim include:
- A landlord failed to replace or repair broken light fixtures, which led to a fall because of lack of sufficient lighting.
- The landlord knew a broken water line was causing slippery conditions in the lobby, but failed to repair the leak or place warnings in the lobby until the leak was repaired.
- A landlord failed to replace a broken handrail or fix a broken step in a common area stairwell.
- The landlord knew broken pavement was a tripping hazard but did nothing to repair the damage or provide warnings of the tripping hazard.
- A landlord allowed snow or ice to remain on walkways after a reasonable amount of time without taking steps to remove the snow and ice or post warnings of the hazard.
Many different situations could lead to a rental property slip and fall accident. Landlords of homes, apartments, multi-family properties, and business locations can potentially be responsible for the medical bills, loss of income, and other damages if someone slips and falls because of the landlord’s negligence, errors, or other wrongdoing.
Proving Liability for a Rental Property Slip & Fall Accident
Before you can hold a landlord responsible for your slip and fall injury, you must prove the landlord failed in the standard of care required of property owners. Landlords must use the same standard of care a reasonable person would exercise to maintain safe premises.
Proving that a landlord breached the duty of care is central to a rental property slip and fall claim. In some cases, a fall might not be the landlord’s fault. A tenant who causes a hazardous or dangerous situation could be liable if someone is injured, and landlords often are not liable if the injury occurred in an area the tenant agreed to maintain pursuant to the lease agreement.
To establish liability for a rental property slip and fall, you need to prove that the landlord:
- Knew or should have known of a dangerous condition on property the Landlord agreed to maintain;
- Failed to correct the hazard or warn individuals of the danger or risk;
- The condition existed long enough that a reasonable person would have discovered the condition and repaired it;
- The dangerous or hazardous condition was the cause of your injury; and,
- Your sustained damages because of the fall.
If you cannot prove that the landlord failed to act even though a reasonable person would have foreseen the danger and taken action to prevent an injury, it will be very difficult to hold a landlord responsible for a rental property slip and fall.
Damages and Compensation for a Rental Property Injury
If you fall or you are injured on rental property in Kansas City or anywhere in Missouri, you might be entitled to compensation for a variety of damages.
A fall can result in physical injuries and financial losses. It can also cause severe emotional distress and mental anguish. In a premises liability lawsuit, you may be entitled to compensation for:
- Medical expenses and costs
- Cost of personal care
- Loss of income
- Physical pain and suffering
- Disabilities and permanent impairments
- Scarring and disfigurement
The value of your slip and fall claim depends on several factors. Hiring an experienced Kansas City slip and fall attorney is one of the best ways to protect your right to full compensation.
An attorney carefully investigates your injury, gathers evidence proving fault, identifies liable parties, calculates the value of your claim, and fights for maximum compensation from the negligent landlord.
Contact a Kansas City Slip and Fall Attorney for More Information
The Law Office of Kevin J. McManus handles premises liability claims throughout Missouri and Kansas, including falls on rental property.
Call 816-203-0143 for a free consultation with our slip and fall attorney in Kansas City.