Being injured on someone else’s property can be a terrifying experience. One moment you’re going about your day and the next you find yourself in terrible pain. Defective property is within the realm of premise liability where defects on the property cause someone to injure themselves. In San Francisco, this can include things such as construction, design, or the current condition of the property (such as cracks on the surface). There is a variety of ways in which a defective property can cause pain – and pain that lasts for decades. If you have been injured due to a defective property accident, there are steps that need to be taken with a defective property lawyer to strengthen your lawsuit and make sure you get compensated for your injuries.
The first step is to document what is happening around you. If you are able, takes pictures of your surrounding environment and collect contact information from all the people that witnessed the accident. The significance of this step has to do with understanding what caused the accident and by extension who is liable. There is an owner of the building itself and the occupier of the building (such as a company). Determining liability can get complicated. Since even the subtlest detail can steer liability one way or another, it is vital to have defective property lawyer at your side to help you further pursue your lawsuit.
As you and your defective property attorney prepare your case, another important aspect to consider is what the defense will argue. One defense that can be used is to argue that you were not behaving safely on the property, or that you were not correctly using the property. For instance, let’s say you have a bad fall and hit your head/back/arms and now you are in significant pain. If you had been using the railing improperly by sitting and swinging on it, which led to the fall, you might not have a case (especially if the company had a sign that explicitly states not to sit on the railing). Without a doubt, defective property cases are complicated, but with the experience of a defective property lawyer in San Francisco, you’ll have a greater understanding of your case and how to get compensated for your injuries.