In Missouri, property owners and occupiers have a duty to keep their property in a reasonably safe condition for those who come onto the property. This means that they must take steps to identify and address hazards on the property, and must warn of any known dangers.
There are three categories of people who may be injured on a property in Missouri: invitees, licensees, and trespassers. Property owners owe the highest duty of care to invitees, who are people who are invited onto the property for a business or other lawful purpose. This includes customers at a store, patients at a hospital, and other similar individuals. Property owners must take reasonable steps to protect invitees from known hazards on the property.
Property owners owe a lesser duty of care to licensees, who are people who are allowed to be on the property for their own purposes. This includes social guests and door-to-door salespeople. Property owners must take reasonable steps to warn licensees of known hazards on the property.
Property owners do not owe a duty of care to trespassers, who are people who are not authorized to be on the property. However, property owners may not intentionally or recklessly cause harm to trespassers.
In order to hold a property owner or occupier liable for an injury that occurred on their property in Missouri, the injured person must generally show that the owner or occupier knew or should have known about the hazard that caused the injury, and failed to take reasonable steps to address it. This may require the injured person to provide evidence of the hazard and how long it had been present, as well as evidence of the owner or occupier's knowledge of the hazard.
There are many types of hazards that can give rise to premises liability claims in Missouri, including wet or slippery floors, uneven surfaces, faulty elevators and escalators, fire hazards, and dangerous dogs. These claims may be brought against a wide range of properties, including residential, commercial, public, and recreational properties.
In addition to the property owner or occupier, other parties may be held liable for an injury that occurs on the property in Missouri. For example, if a contractor or maintenance worker was working on the property at the time of the injury and caused the hazard, they may be liable. Similarly, if a product that was sold on the property malfunctioned and caused the injury, the manufacturer of the product may be liable.
If you have been injured on someone else's property in Missouri, it is advisable to consult with our attorneys to discuss your legal options.
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