An Accident Lawyer in Beaver Dam WI can be valuable for an injured person trying to negotiate a better settlement with an insurance company. The lawyer and the insurer typically have a very good idea of what a claim should be worth, but the injured person usually does not. That leaves this individual trying to decide whether to accept a settlement he or she thinks is too low. Accidents that occur on residential and commercial property can have complex legal factors that benefit from the attention of an experienced attorney.
For example, property owners are expected to keep the premises reasonably safe for pedestrians. Wisconsin tends to experience long winters with episodes of snow accumulation and icy pavement. Property owners are supposed to keep sidewalks, parking lots and exterior stairways clear of ice and snow so nobody falls. If someone does fall and is injured, the property owner often is considered responsible under the legal concept of premises liability.
When a court judge considers premises liability, there will be considerations as to whether the property owner should have known about ice on pavement and should have done something about it before the accident occurred. If the icy conditions developed between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., for example, it’s possible that neither a commercial property owner nor a residential one would be considered liable.
However, the commercial property owner might be considered liable if people were working in the building or if the business was scheduled to open at 5 a.m. If this building is a retail store that’s open at all hours, then the owner will be considered liable because customers can arrive during those hours.
A residential property owner is generally not expected to monitor icy conditions all night long. This can mean that a person who fell on the sidewalk in front of the house does not have a good claim.
An Accident Lawyer in Beaver Dam WI knows how these types of cases have historically been decided and whether any settlement an insurer offers is a reasonable one. Someone dealing with this type of situation may contact a firm such as QBS Law S.C. Beaver Dam WI for a free consultation.
