Massachusetts residents might benefit from understanding more about the most common causes of electrical fires. The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that more than 28,500 electrical fires occur in the country each year, resulting in approximately 1,100 injuries and over 300 fatalities annually. Due to the increased use of lights and heating appliances, December and January are the typically the months with the highest number of electrical fires.
Under the theory of premises liability, property owners can be legally responsible for any accidents and injuries that occur on the property. In some states, the extent of the property owners liability depends on the visitors status. In other words, the property owner owes a different duty of care depending on how and why the injured person came onto the property.В
Obtaining compensation from a negligent property owner for injuries you received usually entails producing evidence to prove the existence of icy sidewalks, a wet floor or other dangerous property condition. There are situations in which an injured party may use circumstantial evidence to create an inference that a property owner was negligent without introducing evidence directly proving it.
The general rule of premises liability in the state of Massachusetts is that a property owner or occupier owes a duty to others on the property to keep the property in a reasonably safe condition, which includes a duty to warn of any unreasonable dangers that the owner or occupier knows of. This duty of care does not, however, completely absolve visitors on the property from exercising their own duty of care when it comes to exercising reasonable discretion in recognizing and avoiding dangerous conditions on the property that would be obvious to a reasonable person.
Negligence cases in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are usually seen as one individual’s behavior causing harm to someone else. For example, an inattentive driver striking a pedestrian or another car, or a surgeon accidentally leaving behind a surgical clamp in a patient. A less well known form of negligence consists of a failure to act when taking action would be necessary to prevent harm, or negligence that takes the form of failing to safeguard against dangerous physical conditions. These variations of negligence can often be found together in circumstances leading to a claim of premises liability.
Under Massachusetts law as it relates to premises liability, trespassers upon the property of another are generally not owed any duty of care on the part of the property owner. There is, however, one significant exception to this rule: child trespassers.
If an individual is hurt on another person’s property, the property owner is generally held responsible for that injury. In some cases, someone who occupies an apartment may be held to the same standard that a landowner would be held to in a premises liability case. When determining the extent of a property owner’s liability, the law looks at whether or not the injured party was allowed to be on the property.
Every day, there is some level of risk that you may slip and fall and hurt yourself while going about your normal activities around Massachusetts, even if you are paying attention to your surroundings. This is because other people’s negligence can create unexpected or hidden hazards that you are unable to avoid, potentially leading you to suffer emotional, physical and financial damages. This is why it is important to seek compensation for your injuries.
In the state of Massachusetts, falls were found to be the leading cause of injuries, both fatal and nonfatal, in people over the age of 65. With the elderly population expected to increase to 20.9 percent in 2030, the negative impacts caused by falls are likely to also increase. By 2020, for example, the national cost of fall-related injuries are expected to reach $54.9 billion.
For parents in Massachusetts, one of the biggest nightmares they might encounter is when their children are seriously injured. Playgrounds, the classic hangouts of children, pose injury risks that are difficult to ignore.
Automobile Accident, Motorcycle Accident, Bicycle Accident
Bicycle Accidents
Pedestrian Accidents
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Boating Accidents
Slip and Fall Accidents
Sports & School Injuries
Work-Related Injuries
Dog Bites
Sexual Abuse
Nursing Home Injuries
Insurance Disputes
Products Liability
Traumatic Brain Injures
Wrongful Death
Burn Injuries
Complex Pain Syndrome (RSD)