The short answer is “no,” a business is not automatically required to cover the medical expenses of a person injured on their premises. Many businesses do have “medical insurance” that will cover a customer or visitor injured on their premises, but they are not required to have this coverage. More than likely, the business will only pay for the injuries if they were responsible for causing the harm, such as through negligent maintenance, failing to see or repair a dangerous condition, or through the fault of one of their employees. Even then, the payment usually comes at the end of the case, not during the investigation, so your own health insurance may be necessary to cover your medical expenses.

Get the names and contact information of the property owner and any witnesses, and if you can, take photos of the location in case it is later changed. Notify the homeowner when and how you were injured so that they can inform their insurance carrier as needed. Seek the medical care you need: whether or not you intend to make a claim later, your safety and health should always be your first concern.

Sidewalk cases are more complex because we first have to determine who is responsible for the sidewalk that caused the injury. The responsible party to maintain a sidewalk in a neighborhood may be a private homeowner, a business (like an apartment complex company), or a government entity (like a City or County entity). Claims against government entities require compliance with strict notification timelines and procedures, so if you believe the premises where you were hurt is owned or operated by any sort of government, contact an attorney as soon as possible.
Once the ownership of the sidewalk is confirmed, we analyze the facts to determine if we can pursue a claim and whether the injury was caused by a negligent failure keep it reasonably safe, failure to adequately warn about or fix a dangerous condition, or other failure of the owner to protect against injury.

Usually, parking lots are owned by private companies, and these cases are similar to other slip-and-fall cases: we analyze the facts to determine if we can pursue a claim because the injury was caused by a negligent failure keep it reasonably safe. However, like sidewalks, a parking lot may be owned or maintained by a government body like a City, County or the State. Claims against government entities require compliance with strict notification timelines and procedures, so if you believe the premises where you were hurt is owned or operated by any sort of government, contact an attorney as soon as possible.

We use the term “premises liability” because there are various ways a person can be injured while at a business or commercial premises that do not involve a slip, trip, or fall. For example, the negligent conduct of an employee can harm customers, such as equipment or inventory falling on a customer, an employee negligently knocking over a customer, or even a physical confrontation leading to assault. Of course, not all injuries lead to claims. But if you or someone you know is seriously injured at a commercial establishment or business premises, we can help you decide if a claim can be pursued.

No. Milla Law only collects payment for legal services if and/or when you receive compensation.  All of our fees are contingent upon winning your case.