Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer in Jackson, MS

Slip and fall cases usually fall within the territory of premises liability law. To collect compensation in this area of law, you normally must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a property owner caused your injuries by failing to keep their premises reasonably safe for visitors. In other words, you must prove that they violated their duty of care.

However, the duty of care a property owner owes to a visitor depends on the legal status of the visitor. In Mississippi, visitors fall into one of three categories:

• Invitee – These visitors enter property with the owner’s implied or express invitation for a mutual advantage, such as when shopping at a grocery store. Property owners must keep their premises reasonably safe for invitees and warn them of existing dangers.
• Licensee – These visitors enter property with the owner’s implied or express permission. However, they do so for their own personal benefit, such as when a social guest attends a dinner party. Unlike in many states, property owners in Mississippi must simply refrain from willfully or wantonly harming licensees.
• Trespasser – This refers to an individual who enters the property without the owner’s permission. Just as with licensees, Mississippi law simply requires property owners to refrain from willfully or wantonly injuring trespassers.

If a property owner does not follow the rules described above, they are said to have breached their duty of care. For example, if someone slips and falls on a wet floor at a movie theater, the victim can sue for premises liability.