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Premises Liability Lawyer Stamford: Your Rights After an Injury on Someone Else’s Property
Three months ago, a Stamford resident slipped on black ice outside a downtown shopping center. The property owner hadn’t treated the walkways in over a week, despite multiple freeze-thaw cycles. That resident broke her wrist and missed six weeks of work. When she contacted the property owner, they claimed it wasn’t their responsibility.
Stories like this happen across Stamford every season. Property owners have a legal duty to keep their spaces safe for visitors, customers, and even delivery workers. When they fail to do that, people get hurt. If you’ve been injured on someone else’s property, you need a premises liability lawyer in Stamford who knows Connecticut law and fights for your right to compensation.
At Wocl Leydon, we’ve represented Stamford residents in premises liability cases for over 30 years. We know which property owners cut corners on maintenance. We know which insurance companies try to deny valid claims. Most importantly, we know how to prove that your injury wasn’t your fault.
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Understanding Premises Liability Law in Connecticut
Property owners in Connecticut must maintain safe conditions for anyone who lawfully enters their property. This applies to stores, restaurants, apartment buildings, office complexes, parking lots, and private homes. When a dangerous condition exists and someone gets hurt because of it, that’s premises liability.
Connecticut law requires property owners to regularly inspect their properties, fix known hazards, and warn visitors about dangers they can’t immediately repair. A wet floor needs a warning sign. A broken staircase railing needs to be fixed or blocked off. Icy parking lots need to be salted and cleared.
The type of visitor you were also matters under Connecticut law. Customers and invited guests receive the highest level of protection. People with implied permission, like delivery workers, also have strong rights. Even trespassers in some situations can file claims if the property owner knew about frequent trespassing and the dangerous condition.
Many property owners and their insurance companies will try to blame you for the accident. They’ll say you should have seen the hazard. They’ll claim you were distracted or careless. Having a premises liability lawyer in Stamford who knows how to counter these arguments makes all the difference in getting fair compensation.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall cases make up a large portion of premises liability claims in Stamford. These accidents happen in grocery stores, retail shops, restaurants, hotels, and apartment buildings throughout the city. Despite what some property owners claim, slip and fall injuries can be serious and life-changing.
We’ve handled slip and fall cases involving:
- Wet or freshly mopped floors without warning signs
- Spills that weren’t cleaned up promptly
- Uneven flooring or torn carpeting
- Poor lighting in stairwells or hallways
- Cluttered walkways in retail stores
- Broken or missing handrails on stairs
Winter brings additional slip and fall risks across Stamford. Property owners must clear ice and snow from walkways, parking lots, and entrances within a reasonable time after a storm. When they don’t, accidents happen. We’ve seen severe fractures, head injuries, and back injuries from ice-related falls in places like the Stamford Town Center parking garage, outside restaurants on Summer Street, and at apartment complexes throughout the city.
Documentation matters in slip and fall cases. If you can, take photos of the hazard that caused your fall. Get contact information from witnesses. Report the incident to the property owner or manager immediately. Seek medical attention even if you think your injuries are minor. Some injuries don’t show symptoms right away, and having medical records that connect your injury to the fall strengthens your case.
Trip and Fall Accidents
Trip and fall accidents differ from slip and falls because they involve obstacles or surface defects rather than slippery conditions. These cases require proving the property owner either created the hazard, knew about it, or should have known about it through reasonable inspection.
Common causes of trip and fall accidents include:
- Cracked or uneven sidewalks
- Potholes in parking lots
- Torn or bunched carpeting
- Unmarked changes in floor elevation
- Extension cords or cables across walkways
- Debris left in walking paths
- Poor exterior lighting hides hazards
Stamford’s older buildings, particularly downtown, sometimes have uneven flooring, unexpected steps, or poorly maintained entryways.
Business owners can’t ignore these problems just because a building is old. They must either fix the hazards or provide adequate warnings.
We recently represented a client who tripped over a cracked sidewalk panel outside a Bedford Street office building. The property management company had received multiple complaints about that panel but kept delaying repairs. Our client needed surgery for a fractured ankle. We proved the property owner’s negligence and secured compensation that covered medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Stamford and the surrounding areas have recreational facilities, trampoline parks, rock climbing gyms, and seasonal amusement attractions. While these activities involve some inherent risk, property owners must still maintain equipment properly, provide adequate supervision, and warn about specific dangers.