Corpus Christi Slip & Fall Attorneys | Corpus Christi Trip & Fall Attorneys | Corpus Christi Trip & Fall Accident Attorney

If you have fallen or been injured on someone else's property, contact a Corpus Christi Premises Liability lawyer today.

Corpus Christi slip and fall lawyers, Corpus Christi premises liability lawyers, and other Nueces County premises liability lawyers serve clients in all types of injury and accident cases across the Corpus Christi area. These accidents can result from a variety of causes and conditions and a variety of factors will be involved in determining whether you are entitled to monetary recovery under the law.

What is Premises Liability and how can a Corpus Christi Slip & Fall accident affect you?

In layman’s terms, a “slip and fall” or “trip and fall” injury refers to an accident that results in personal injury on the property of another, usually due to some negligent maintenance or construction of the property or structures thereon. However, in a legal sense, these types of injuries fall under a broad body of law known as Premises Liability. Other common types of premises liability cases involve accidents such as falling merchandise not adequately secured by a store owner, or a dangerous condition on land, left open to children or to the public without an adequate warning. These types of accidents occur due to the negligence of Corpus Christi landowners, store owners, and businesses across Nueces County, Texas. If you have been injured in a Corpus Christi Slip & Fall accident, contact an experienced Texas premises liability lawyer today.

Why Should You Obtain a Corpus Christi Slip & Fall Attorney?

Corpus Christi personal injury lawyers cover slip and fall litigation because cases in this area center on the issue of negligence. There is no question that premises liability law has been the subject of more change in Texas than any other body of law. The need to hire a knowledgeable Corpus Christi slip and fall personal injury attorney to get fair compensation in a Corpus Christi premises liability case is absolutely critical due to intricacies in this rapidly changing body of law. A well-qualified Corpus Christi or Nueces County premises liability lawyer will be experienced with this difficult area of law and know how best to navigate the legal system to your advantage.

This picture shows a hole in the ground. If you have fallen on someone's property, call a Corpus Christi Premises Liability Attorney today.

How Long Do You Have To Contact a Corpus Christi Slip & Fall Attorney?

In Texas, a “Statute of Limitations” sets a deadline for filing personal injury actions, such as premises liability claims, and you should contact a Corpus Christi premises liability lawyer well before the deadline. Under a Statute of Limitations, you must pursue your cause of action before the time limit has expired, or else you will most likely be legally barred from seeking recovery for your injuries. Regardless of whether the victim is an “invitee,” “licensee,” or “trespasser” on the property (see discussion below), Texas’s Statute of Limitations provides that all premises liability claims must be brought within two (2) years. Similarly, under the Attractive Nuisance Doctrine, premises liability claims brought by children must be made within two years. This is because Chapter 16 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code provides a two year statute of limitations for all tort-based claims.

Contact a Corpus Christi premises liability attorney immediately to ensure that your personal injury claim is filed before time runs out!

Corpus Christi Premises Liability Law — The Basics

When someone slips and falls on someone else’s land and sustains a personal injury, they may be entitled to monetary compensation if a dangerous or preventable condition is to blame. Corpus Christi, TX landowners, store owners, and other individuals responsible for maintaining premises may have a duty to make that place safe, particularly if they invite customers in for business or if there is an “attractive nuisance” on the property that may lure children onto the land. If you or a loved one has been injured due to a slip and fall accident or another accident caused by a dangerous condition, a Corpus Christi premises liability attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve.

As noted, premises liability actions are based in negligence, or legal fault. The injury must be “caused” by a “condition” upon the land (or building located upon the land) at issue. To be liable for negligence under Texas law, there must be:

  1. a special duty of care existing between the injured party and the negligent party;
  2. a breach of that duty; and
  3. the negligence must be the “proximate cause,” or legal cause, of the victim’s injuries and damages.

Since there are a variety of ways that a person can enter upon the premises of another, the duty the property owner owes will vary according to the facts of each case. For example, when someone goes to a Corpus Christi area Wal-Mart or Kroger to get their shopping done, they are clearly being “invited” upon the premises. This person is called a “business invitee,” and the duty owed by Wal-Mart, Kroger, or any other type of business that seeks walk-in customers is the duty owed to an invitee.

Compare those facts to the duty owed to someone that you do not want on your land, such as a trespasser. Obviously, Texas landowners owe a lesser duty of care to trespassers than to business invitees. There is also a separate duty owed to a type of visitors known as licensees, who are usually guests that do not directly benefit the landowner. Social guests are probably the most common type of licensee you will encounter in a Corpus Christi premises liability case. Additionally, children may be owed a higher duty of care in some situations. You can readily see why the duty owed changes based upon each set of facts presented, and how complicated Corpus Christi, TX premises liability cases can become. This is just part of the reason why a Corpus Christi Premises Liability lawyer is essential to help you win your case. A summary of the duties in the State of Texas, Nueces County, and Corpus Christi are as follows:

  1. Invitee: An invitee is a person who is on the premises at the express or implied invitation of the possessor of the premises and who has entered thereon either as a member of the public, for a purpose for which the premises are held open to the public, or for a purpose connected with the business of the possessor that does or may result in their mutual economic benefit, e.g., a retail customer, a student at school, or a guest at your home.
  2. Licensee: A licensee is a person who is on the premises with the permission of the possessor, but without an express or implied invitation. Such person is on the premises only because the possessor has allowed him to enter and not due to any business or contractual relationship.
  3. Trespasser: A trespasser is a person who is on the property of another without any right, lawful authority, express or implied invitation, permission, license, or in the performance of any duty to the owner or person in charge, or on any business of such person, but merely for his own purpose, pleasure, convenience, or out of curiosity, and without enforcement, allurement, inducement, or express or implied assurance of safety from the owner or person in charge.

Not only must the Corpus Christi trip and fall lawyer determine the duty owed, but he or she must also prove that the defendant had control of the premises. For instance, although the owner of the land of the Starplex Stadium 16 is clearly the landowner and may be deemed responsible for a slip and fall injury, another party may be liable in some cases instead of or in addition to the landowner. For example, if someone was injured while Starplex Stadium 16 was being constructed, Starplex's owner would have an excellent defense argument that they were not in control of the Stadium and that the liable party should be the construction contractor or one of the sub-contractors working on the property at the time.

One recent change in Texas Premise Liability law can be found in the adoption of Chapter 95 of Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, which completely protects a property owner from an injured party’s claims, unless the owner:

  1. exercised control over the manner in which the work is performed;
  2. had actual knowledge of the danger/condition resulting in the personal injury, death, or property damage; and
  3. failed to give an adequate warning.

This is a very tough burden of proof to carry and it is nearly impossible for an average Corpus Christi citizen to be successful without the competent and aggressive representation of a Corpus Christi Premises Liability Lawyer who knows the ins-and-outs of Texas premises liability law as well as the various Corpus Christi and Nueces County courts.

If proving a premises liability case weren’t already challenging enough, the Corpus Christi slip and fall attorney must also distinguish between a “condition” and an “activity” upon the land. For example, a person might be shopping in a Corpus Christi area, Kroger or Wal-Mart store when a piece of merchandise falls on them, causing serious injury. It is an important distinction in the law whether the item that fell was being moved at the time or was stationary in its place when it fell. If it was being moved, it is considered an “activity” rather than a “condition” and a Corpus Christi slip and fall accident attorney would know that Texas premises liability law is not controlling on this issue. Moreover, even if someone slips, trips, or falls due to a “condition,” the defendant-property owner might not necessarily be liable for their injuries. For liability to attach:

  1. the condition must have been “unreasonably dangerous”; and
  2. the owner / occupier must have had “actual knowledge” or “constructive knowledge” of the existence of the “unreasonably dangerous condition.”

Construction sites in Corpus Christi cause many injuries. If you have been injured on someone's property or on a construction site, call a Corpus Christi Premises Liability today.

Significantly, there have been Texas Supreme Court cases where the defendant not only knew of, but actually created the condition themselves, and the court nonetheless held that it only created a “mere inference” and not an “unreasonable danger.” In such cases, the defendant will not be held legally accountable. For this reason, it is important that Corpus Christi premises liability accident victims retain the services of an experienced Texas personal injury attorney who will zealously pursue their case. Money is the last thing you should be worrying about after a serious injury, and a Corpus Christi premises liability lawyer can help you get the maximum recovery possible under the law so that you can rest assured that your family will be provided for during your recovery.

Criminal Acts of Rape, Assault and Murder — Is the Land Owner or Occupier Liable?

As explained above, most premises liability cases are based in negligence. Sometimes, however, a different issue arises when it is the intentional acts of third parties that injure people on areas such as apartment properties, mall parking lots, drive-thru lanes at fast food restaurants, ATM machines, or the like. Unfortunately, intentional acts such as these occur in Corpus Christi and Nueces County, Texas more often than many of us realize. In these cases, the legal issue turns upon whether the action that gave rise to the victim’s injury was foreseeable and whether reasonable steps could have been taken to prevent such activity on their property. Essentially, the relevant question is whether the Corpus Christi property owner could have done anything to make the area more safe that might have prevented the crime from occurring in the first place.

This is necessarily a fact-specific question that requires intensive fact-finding and research by the Corpus Christi premises liability attorney. Nueces County accident lawyers often need to research the criminal complaints or calls made to the Corpus Christi Police Department regarding the particular piece of property at issue. Also, there may have been a number of “property crimes” in an area, such as car break-ins, but no violent crime calls. Thus, if someone is raped or beaten for the first time in an area, it may be hard to hold the defendant-property owner liable despite the calls made to the police regarding car break-ins. A qualified Corpus Christi premises liability attorney or Corpus Christi slip and fall lawyer, however, will work hard to make the necessarily legal arguments on your behalf and get you the settlement you deserve.  

How Can You Obtain a Corpus Christi Personal Injury or Corpus Christi Premises Liability Lawyer?

All of the qualified Corpus Christi premises liability attorneys listed at the top of this page have experience dealing with “slip and fall” accidents as well as other types of premises liability lawsuits. These lawyers will zealously pursue your claim in Corpus Christi proper or in surrounding areas. Call now for a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.

Corpus Christi injury lawyers are experienced in handling slip & fall premises liability cases in both federal and state courts across the Corpus Christi area. Just a few of the many courts in which Corpus Christi injury lawyers typically try cases are:

Nueces County 117th District Court
(361) 888-0220

Nueces County 148th District Court
(361) 888-0220

Nueces County 214th District Court
(361) 888-0220

Nueces County 28th District Court
(361) 888-0220

Nueces County 319th District Court
(361) 888-0220

Nueces County 347th District Court
(361) 888-0220

 

The Civil District Courts for Corpus Christi and Nueces County are located at:

901 Leopard Room 402
Corpus Christi, TX 78401

Hospitals in the Corpus Christi Area

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi
2606 Hospital Boulevard
Corpus Christi, TX 78405-1818

Dubuis Hospital of Corpus Christi
600 Elizabeth Street 3rd Floor
Corpus Christi, TX 78404

Corpus Christi Medical Center -Doctors Regional
3315 South Alameda
Corpus Christi, TX 78411

Northwest Regional Hospital
13725 Northwest Boulevard
Corpus Christi, TX 78410

Kindred Hospital Corpus Christi
6226 Saratoga Boulevard
Corpus Christi, TX 78414

Driscoll Children's Hospital
3533 South Alameda Street
Corpus Christi, TX 78411

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital South
 5950 Saratoga Boulevard
 Corpus Christi, TX 78414

Corpus Christi Medical Center -The Heart Hospital
7002 Williams Drive
Corpus Christi, TX 78412

 

Corpus Christi Emergency Services Contact Information

Corpus Christi EMS or Corpus Christi Fire Department
2406 Leopard Street 300
Corpus Christi, TX 78408-3719
(361) 826-3900

Personal Injury Attorneys Serve Corpus Christi and Surrounding Cities

Serving clients throughout South Texas including Aqua Dulce, Bishop, Calallen, Corpus Christi, Doyle, Driscoll, Gregory, Ingleside, Ingleside on the Bay, Odem, Palo Alto, Petronila, Port Aransas, Portland, Rabb, Robstown, San Juan, San Pedro, Taft, Tierra Grande, Viola, Violet and other communities in Kieberg County, Nueces County, and San Patricio County.

Nueces County slip and fall or trip and fall attorneys will zealously pursue your case through settlement negotiations or a trial. CALL NOW for an explanation of your legal rights and options.