The Duty of Care Property Owners Owe People Invited Onto Their Property

There are many people who own land in Utah. They own the land for many different reasons as well. People may own land where they have their house. They also own land for second homes, for hunting, recreation, storage, farming, businesses and other reasons. People who own the land typically decide who is on their property based on who they invite onto it. While people who own land for private purposes may only invite people they know on the property, business owners invite anyone who wants to shop at the business onto the property.

When people are invited onto other people’s property they have the expectation that they will be able to safely enjoy the reason for their visit. They assume that the property owner would either fix or warn them about potential dangers on the property. This does not always occur though. Sometimes dangerous conditions exist on the property and people are injured as a result of the dangerous condition. In some circumstances people suffer significant injuries as a result.

Property owners must protect invitees

If the victim of these accidents was invited onto the property, they may be entitled to compensation for their injuries. However, the property owner is not automatically liable for all injuries occurring on the property. In order for the property owner to be liable, they must have actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition prior to the accident. There also must be sufficient time in between the property owner learning of the dangerous condition and the accident for the property owner to remedy it or prevent people from being injured by it. If they do not remedy it in a reasonable manner, they could be liable.

There are many people in Utah who are injured on other people’s property. If they were injured because the property owner negligently failed to remedy a known dangerous condition, the property owner may be required to compensate the victim. The compensation can help pay for the victims’ medical bills and lost income as well as other damages. Experienced attorneys understand the burden of proof in these matters and many be able to guide one through it.