The federal government estimates that as many as one million people every year are injured because of accidental falls in the United States. While many of these falls occur in someone's own home, there are many others that take place when someone is on property that belongs to and is the responsibility of someone else. If a person is injured in this manner, he or she could respond by filing a personal injury lawsuit against that person responsible for the property, but there are several questions that need to be analyzed and answered before taking this step. One of those questions involves defining the legal status of the person who was injured. There are several different options for this type of status, and below you will find a brief introduction to them along with a description of how they apply to certain situations. Anyone who has been injured while legally on the property of someone else needs to obtain the help of experienced Las Vegas injury lawyers as soon as possible.
THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE PLAINTIFF
When someone enters the property of someone else, a legal status applies to that person whether he or she entered that property with express permission, indirect or implied permission or no permission at all. Each of these statuses involves different sets of circumstances that are defined by why that person entered that premises. Below is a brief description of each. Invitee - A person is considered an invitee if he or she enters a property for the purpose of conducting business on that property. Someone who goes grocery shopping is considered an invitee when he or she is at the store buying food. As such, an invitee does not need to be directly invited onto the property, but rather is foreseen by those responsible for the property as the type of person who may be there when the property is open to the public.
Licensee - A licensee is someone who enters the property of someone else with an express invitation. Licensees are usually people who go to someone's home for a party of some sort. They are obviously welcomed onto that property, but there have been some types of limitations placed on the rights of licensees if they stay too long or if they venture too far away from where they were expected to be while they were there.
Trespasser - A trespasser is someone who enters a property without any type of permission in place. Therefore, that person is on that property illegally, and if he or she is injured while there, that person will not be able to recover damages for losses that were incurred. However, there are certain exceptions to this rule that could apply.
If you or someone you love has been injured while on the property of someone else, you need to seek the help of Las Vegas injury lawyers who have been fighting for the rights of clients for many years. Contact High Stakes Injury Law today to schedule a free initial consultation.