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Dallas Premises Liability Lawyer

Liability Attorney

A slip, fall, or other injury on someone else’s property can throw your entire life off track. From missed paychecks to medical appointments, it often feels like everything gets harder all at once. Your Dallas premises liability lawyer with Goff Law, PLLC can explain how these cases work, and your Dallas personal injury attorney will look into what happened and help you take action if the property owner failed to fix a dangerous condition. If you were hurt while visiting a business, rental, or public space, reach out to us. We are ready to walk through the details with you and talk about what your options might look like.

How Property Conditions Can Put You at Risk Without Warning

You should be able to visit a store, restaurant, or apartment building without worrying about unsafe conditions. Unfortunately, many property owners wait too long to fix hazards or never address them at all. Our firm has seen how everyday places become dangerous when maintenance gets pushed aside or ignored.

When Safety Problems Are Hidden or Deliberately Ignored

Some dangers are easy to miss until they cause someone to fall or get seriously hurt. Loose railings, bad lighting, broken stair edges, or uneven walkways may not look alarming, but they carry real risk. Even after someone gets injured, businesses do not always fix what needs attention. Instead, they may delay repairs to avoid closing down or spending money, which puts more people in harm’s way.

Why Maintenance Policies Matter in Premises Liability Claims

When a property is not regularly inspected or maintained, it becomes harder for visitors to trust that the space is safe. Whether it is a leaking ceiling, cracked pavement, or missing warning signs, these are all signs that no one is staying on top of the upkeep. In many cases, we find that injuries happened because safety was treated as an afterthought. Property owners have a responsibility to address hazards in a timely way, and we work to hold them accountable when they do not.

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Where Premises Liability Accidents Often Happen in Dallas

Dangerous property conditions are not always where you expect them. Whether you are shopping, getting a bite to eat, or visiting someone’s apartment, you should not have to worry about hidden hazards. These are just a few of the places where we see unsafe conditions lead to serious injuries:

  • Grocery Store Entrances
  • Hotel Stairwells
  • Shared Apartment Hallways
  • Shopping Center Parking Lots
  • Hospital Lobbies
  • Restaurant Bathrooms
  • Daycare Playgrounds
  • Gas Station Walkways

 

Each of these places carries its own set of risks, and most of those risks could have been avoided. We look at who was supposed to maintain the property, what repairs were missed, and whether there were any warnings in place. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 75.002, some property owners may claim limited liability, but that does not excuse them from keeping their spaces reasonably safe.

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What Property Owners Are Required to Do to Keep Visitors Safe

Every property owner has a responsibility to keep their space reasonably safe. That includes regular inspections, basic upkeep, and addressing anything that could hurt someone. When those responsibilities are ignored, people get hurt, and many of those injuries could have been prevented.

Stores, gyms, and other public places are expected to check for hazards often. That includes things like wet floors, broken steps, and tripping hazards in walkways. Private homes also come with responsibilities if someone is invited or allowed to visit. As a premises liability lawyer in Dallas, we review whether the person was legally on the property and what steps the owner should have taken to keep them safe.

A slick tile or a curled rug might not seem serious at first. However, under certain circumstances, those small problems can lead to broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, or worse. Our firm has handled cases where a fall led to emergency care, surgery, or lasting pain. Under Texas Health and Safety Code § 773.008, people who suffer traumatic injuries are entitled to emergency medical access, but that does not take away the property owner’s responsibility to prevent the hazard in the first place.

After someone gets hurt, the property owner may deny anything was wrong. In many cases, they try to place the blame on the person who was injured. Our firm acts quickly to protect the truth and gather what we need before important evidence disappears. Here are some of the tactics we have seen property owners use after an accident:

 

  • Blaming the injured person’s footwear
  • Moving or repairing the hazard after the incident
  • Deleting surveillance footage
  • Failing to complete incident reports
  • Refusing to speak with witnesses
  • Denying maintenance history
  • Refusing to provide insurance information
  • Downplaying visible injuries 

These tactics do not stop us from getting the facts. When you reach out quickly, we can often recover important information before it is lost. Under Texas Occupations Code § 160.002, businesses and property owners have reporting and recordkeeping responsibilities that may apply in these situations.

Premises liability cases do not always stop with the property owner. Cleaning crews, security companies, or outside vendors may have been involved in the conditions that caused the injury. Our firm takes the time to identify every party that may have failed to meet their responsibility.

Larger properties like shopping centers, hotels, and apartment buildings often rely on third-party vendors for daily tasks. That might include janitorial services, event contractors, or private security teams. If one of those companies left behind a hazard or ignored a known issue, they may share legal responsibility. We include them in the claim when the facts show they played a part in what went wrong.

In many cases, the landlord handles repairs and upkeep in shared areas, while the tenant manages the inside of their rental unit. This split can create confusion about who was supposed to fix something or respond to complaints. These issues can also arise when tenants fail to uphold their own duty of care, such as loose pets resulting in dog bites or other animal attacks. Under Texas Property Code § 92.056, landlords have a legal obligation to repair conditions that affect a tenant’s health and safety. At Goff Law, PLLC, we review those duties carefully and are available 24/7 to determine whether the landlord failed to make a required repair before the injury happened.

Reach Out to Your Dallas Premises Liability Lawyer