A premises liability claim holds a property owner responsible for injuries that occur on their property due to unsafe conditions. The owner has a duty to keep the property reasonably safe for visitors. Common examples include slip and falls from wet floors or icy sidewalks, injuries from poor lighting or broken staircases, dog bites, and accidents in swimming pools. The key question is whether the owner knew or should have known about the hazard and failed to fix it or provide adequate warning in a timely manner.

At a bare minimum, you must get their full legal name and a current phone number. An email address and physical address are highly valuable additions. If possible, also note their connection to the event (e.g., “was walking dog,“ “driver of blue car”). This core set of details allows an investigator or attorney to follow up for a full, formal statement while the event is still fresh in the witness’s mind.

Professional liability, often called malpractice, occurs when a licensed professional fails to perform their duties according to the accepted standards of their profession, causing harm to a client or patient. This is most commonly associated with doctors, surgeons, lawyers, accountants, architects, and engineers. The claim asserts that the professional’s negligence, error, or omission—such as a misdiagnosis, surgical mistake, or faulty financial advice—directly resulted in damages, injury, or financial loss that would not have otherwise occurred.