Were you assaulted, injured in a slip and fall, or otherwise hurt on someone else’s property in Kansas City, MO? Negligent property owners in Missouri can be held financially responsible for dangerous conditions on their premises. An experienced Kansas City premises liability lawyer at Dickerson Oxton, LLC can help you fight for a full financial recovery. Since 2010, we’ve been helping injured clients stand up to property owners and their powerful insurance companies. We’ve recovered millions of dollars in compensation in the process.
Getting fair compensation for your injuries can be a challenge. We have decades of experience helping clients recover full compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and more. If you were injured, call our law offices in Kansas City, Missouri at (816) 268-1960 to schedule your free consultation today.
How Can Dickerson Oxton, LLC Help With My Premises Liability Claim in Kansas City, MO?
Property owners won’t be quick to admit that you were injured because of something dangerous on their property. Quickly consulting a Kansas City personal injury lawyer can be the key to protecting yourself. Otherwise, the property owner might have time to fix the problem or even blame you for the injuries. The team at Dickerson Oxton, LLC knows how important recovering fair compensation is for your future. We have the skills and experience not only to win your case but also to maximize your compensation. When you turn to us for help, we’ll handle every aspect of your premises liability claim, including:
- The investigation into your injury
- Analyzing any available evidence
- Hiring experts to strengthen your personal injury claim
- Protecting you from any blame-shifting insurance tactics
- Conducting settlement negotiations with the insurance company and property owner
- Fighting to recover every dollar you deserve
Do you have questions about your legal rights after an injury occurred on someone else’s property? Call our Kansas City personal injury attorneys for a free consultation today.
What is Premises Liability in Missouri?
Missouri premises liability laws impose certain responsibilities on property owners in the state. Owners have a duty to protect invited visitors and guests from foreseeable dangers. In other words, they have a duty to maintain their property in safe condition. These laws exist so that you don’t have to watch your every step when you visit a store, restaurant, or even the post office. The scope of a property owner’s duty depends on why you were visiting the property. In Missouri, there are three classes of visitors: invitees, licensees, and trespassers.
Business Invitees
When you enter a property for some type of business purpose, you’re classified as an invitee. For example, you’re classified as an invitee when you:
- Dine in a restaurant
- Check in to a downtown hotel
- Attend a Chief’s game
- Attend classes at the University of Missouri
Businesses have a heightened duty of care to visitors who enter their property with permission. After all, you’re visiting for the owner’s benefit. Businesses must:
- Regularly inspect the property to find hidden or unknown dangers
- Fix any dangerous property conditions they know about
- Provide adequate warning about known risks to protect your safety
When owners are negligent and ignore these duties, they can be held financially liable if others are injured.
Licensees
You’re classified as a licensee when you’re invited onto someone’s property for a non-business reason. For example, you’re a licensee when you visit a friend’s house. Private property owners don’t have any duty to inspect their premises. However, they must tell you about non-obvious risks that they do know about.
Trespassers
In Missouri, property owners don’t have a duty to adults who enter their premises without permission. However, there are limited exceptions for small children who trespass. Under the attractive nuisance doctrine, property owners must sometimes take steps to keep children safe from “attractive nuisances.” An attractive nuisance is something dangerous that’s likely to attract young kids. A typical example is a swimming pool.
What Do I Have to Prove to Recover Compensation From the Property Owner?
To win a premises liability case, you must prove that the property owner was negligent. While the details will depend on why you were on the property, the basic elements of your case are:
- You were legally on the property
- The defendant owned or operated the property
- A non-obvious danger existed on the premises
- The owner knew or reasonably should have known about the risk
- The owner failed to adequately warn you about the danger
- You were injured due to the hazard
Ultimately, you must prove that you were injured because the property owner breached their legal duty of care under Missouri law.
We Handle All Types of Premises Liability Claims in Kansas City, MO
At Dickerson Oxton, LLC, we handle all types of premises liability cases, including those involving:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Assault and sexual assault caused by negligent security
- Dog bites and animal attacks
- Food poisoning
- Exposure to toxic chemicals
- Broken staircases
- Elevators or escalators
- Falling objects
- Bed bugs
- Fires and explosions
- Workplace accidents
- Construction site accidents
- Hotel accidents
- Accidents in rental apartment complexes
- Swimming pool accidents
If you were injured, contact our law firm in Kansas City right away. We’ll start our investigation immediately to preserve valuable evidence.
What is My Kansas City Premises Liability Case Worth?
When assessing your case value, our lawyers will ask about:
- The cost of your medical treatment to date
- Whether you have lost income during recovery
- Your need for ongoing medical care, rehab, or therapy
- Whether any permanent or long-term injury will impact your future earnings
- How your lifestyle has changed
- The types of emotional trauma you have experienced
- Your physical pain
- Any allegations about shared fault
In the valuation process, our lawyers will often hire experts who can offer insight into complex elements of your claim. Contact us today to learn more about how our team can assist with your case.
What Types of Damages Are Available in a Missouri Premises Liability Case?
Damages are classified as either economic damages or non-economic damages under Missouri personal injury laws. Your economic damages compensate for the monetary losses you suffer because of your injuries, including:
- Current medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning potential
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Non-economic damages attempt to compensate for the things that money can’t buy, such as:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Diminished quality of life
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Humiliation
- Physical disfigurement or scarring
- Loss of consortium
The types of compensation you recover will depend on the nature of your losses. Our lawyers will review your case in detail to help you understand the damages that are available.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Kansas City?
Your attorney’s fees will depend entirely on how much compensation we win in your case. We work on a contingency fee basis. That means we take our attorney’s fees as a percentage of your settlement or verdict.
How Can Shared Fault Impact My Premises Liability Claim in Kansas City?
Missouri follows a pure comparative negligence law. Your compensation can be reduced if you share some blame for the injury. However, it won’t be reduced to zero unless you were entirely responsible for your own injuries. Don’t let the insurance company twist the evidence to blame you. Our lawyers know how to protect you. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you fight any allegations of shared fault.
Our Kansas City Premises Liability Attorneys Are Ready to Fight for Fair Compensation for All of Your Injuries
Many victims struggle with serious injuries for months or even years after an accident. At Dickerson Oxton, LLC, we often represent injured clients who have suffered:
- Broken bones
- Nerve damage
- Broken hips
- Knee and shoulder injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Internal injuries
- Burns
- Infections
- Cancer and other diseases
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Our Kansas City premises liability attorneys are here to help whether you’re expected to recover fully or suffer a long-term disability. To learn about your legal rights, call for a free case review today.
How Much Time Do I Have to File a Premises Liability Lawsuit if I Was Injured on Someone Else’s Property in Missouri?
In most cases, the statute of limitations is five years in Missouri personal injury cases. If you don’t file a lawsuit before the fifth anniversary of your injury, you lose your right to pursue compensation. While there are exceptions to the general rule, they’re rare–and the consequences of missing the deadline are steep. You could be left to deal with all of your costs on your own. That makes consulting a lawyer sooner rather than later important.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Kansas City Premises Liability Lawyer
If you were injured because a property owner failed to maintain their property in reasonably safe condition, contact a Kansas City premises liability lawyer today at (816) 268-1960. At Dickerson Oxton, LLC, your initial consultation is always free of charge.
What our Kansas City Clients have to say
“I recently completed a case with Chelsea. My experience was great. I never once felt uninformed or like I couldn’t ask questions. I always felt things were in great hands. They make it so easy to move forward through hard experiences. I would recommend the firm to any of my friends or family.“