Consult a lawyer immediately if there are serious injuries, significant property damage, a disputed fault, or if you are contacted by a lawyer representing another party. Early legal advice can protect your rights, ensure proper evidence preservation, and guide you through interactions with insurers. Many attorneys offer free initial consultations to assess your situation.

Property owners must keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition for visitors they invite or allow onto their property. This means actively looking for and fixing hazards like wet floors, broken stairs, or poor lighting. The specific duty owed depends on the visitor’s status. For example, a store owes the highest duty to a customer, while a trespasser is owed a much more limited duty to avoid intentional harm or extremely dangerous hidden traps.

Warning signs can help, but they are not an automatic shield against liability. They show you attempted to warn of a known danger, which is a crucial step. However, you are still expected to fix the hazard within a reasonable timeframe. A sign may be insufficient if the danger was extreme or if it was unreasonable to expect visitors to encounter it at all, such as a major structural hazard in a common walkway.