When to Hire an Attorney After Being Hurt on Someone Else’s Property

If you were hurt in a fall on someone else’s property, you may be second-guessing yourself right now. Most people do. They replay the moment, wonder if they should have seen the hazard, and hesitate to make a call because it feels like making a big deal out of an accident.

Here is what nearly 40 years of handling these cases across Seattle, King County, and the rest of Washington has taught us: the people who call early tend to do far better than the people who wait. Not because of anything mysterious, but because evidence disappears fast and injuries reveal themselves slowly. This post explains when it makes sense to talk to an attorney, what to do first, and, just as honestly, when you may not have a case at all.

What Counts as a Premises Liability Injury in Washington

Property owners in Washington have a duty to keep their premises reasonably safe for the people they invite on: customers, tenants, guests, and visitors. When they fail and someone gets hurt, that is premises liability.

In our files, the same situations come up again and again. Raised or uneven sidewalks, often pushed up by tree roots. Stairs with missing handrails, worn treads, or poor lighting. Spills and slick spots left on store floors. Ice at building entrances and apartment complexes that nobody treated. Merchandise stacked badly enough to fall. Potholes and unmarked curbs in parking lots. Dogs that were never restrained.

These sound ordinary, and that is the point. Ordinary hazards cause serious injuries when they sit unaddressed, and the law asks whether the owner knew or should have known about them.

What Your Case May Be Worth: Real Results From Real Falls

Numbers help people decide whether a phone call is worth their time, so here are recoveries we have obtained for clients in exactly these situations. Every case is different and past results do not guarantee an outcome, but they show what serious representation of an injured person can look like.

A man walking back to his car in Seattle caught his foot on a low, bent metal fence around a street tree, a hazard nearly invisible from a walking path. We recovered $550,000. A runner tripped on a sidewalk panel pushed up by tree roots and injured her back and wrist. We recovered $400,000. A customer slipped on untreated ice at a store entrance where no warning or mat had been placed. We recovered $300,000. A woman fell on a worn, badly lit stairway at dusk. We recovered $221,000. A woman visiting her mother slipped on morning ice at a care facility entryway and needed knee surgery. We recovered $42,500. A shopper slipped on grapes that had been reported to store management and left on the floor. We recovered $85,000.

Dog attacks belong in this conversation too, because Washington law holds owners strictly liable when their dog bites someone in public or a lawful visitor on private property. Our recent dog bite recoveries include $500,000 for a young child bitten in the face, $285,000 for a man attacked at a marina, and $151,000 for a delivery driver attacked while collecting a signature.

You can read more of these on our case results page.

The First 24 Hours Decide More Than You Think

Across three decades of these cases, one factor separates strong claims from weak ones more than any other: documentation. Cases where the hazard was photographed before it was repaired have consistently resolved for several times more than cases without photos. In one of our cases, old street-view imagery proved that a protective barrier had been broken for years before our client fell into an uncovered window well. That evidence changed everything. We recovered $120,000 for her.

So if you are able, or someone with you is able, do these things right away:

• Photograph the hazard from several angles, including from the direction you approached
• Get names and phone numbers of anyone who saw the fall
• Report the incident to the business or property owner and ask for a copy of the report
• Keep the shoes and clothing you were wearing
• See a doctor, even if you think you are only bruised

Hazards get repaired quickly once someone is hurt on them. Camera footage is often overwritten in days. The version of the scene that exists this week will not exist next month.

Signs You Should Call an Attorney Sooner Rather Than Later

You do not need to be certain you have a case to make a call worthwhile. But some signs make an early conversation especially important. A fracture, a surgery, or any head injury. A fall at a business, a rental property, or a government-maintained sidewalk. An incident report that exists somewhere you cannot reach. An insurance adjuster who has already called you with a friendly voice and a quick offer. A hazard the owner clearly knew about, like a defect that had been reported before, marked with paint but never fixed, or visible on the property for months.

That last one matters most. The strongest cases in our files share a common thread: someone knew. An inspection report had flagged the exact hazard. A spill had been reported and ignored. A condition had existed so long that the owner had every opportunity to fix it. If any part of your story sounds like that, talk to an attorney before the evidence of what they knew goes away.

The Honest Part: When You May Not Have a Case

Not every fall is someone’s fault, and you deserve a straight answer about that rather than false hope. In our experience, claims struggle when a clear warning sign was posted and visible, when the defect was truly minor, when a spill happened moments before the fall with no chance for the owner to discover it, or when injuries were slight and healed quickly.

We decline cases like these regularly, and when we do, we explain why. A good attorney should tell you the truth about your case in the first conversation, free, before you have committed to anything. If the answer is no, you will at least stop wondering.

Hurt While Working on Someone Else’s Property? Read This First

One distinction saves a lot of confusion. If you were hurt at work and only your employer was at fault, that is a workers’ compensation matter through Washington’s L&I system, which is not what we handle. But if you were hurt on someone else’s property while doing your job, a delivery, a service call, an inspection, and the property owner’s negligence played a part, you may have a separate claim in addition to workers’ compensation. We have recovered $220,000 for a letter carrier directed onto a dangerously slick deck and $1.25 million for a worker hurt when a structure failed beneath him. If someone other than your employer created the danger, it costs nothing to find out where you stand.

How Long Do You Have, and What Does Hiring Us Look Like

Washington generally allows three years from the date of injury to file a premises liability claim, but waiting anywhere near that long is a mistake for the evidence reasons above. The best time to call is within days, not months.

A consultation with Dean Standish Perkins & Associates is free. If we take your case, we work on contingency, which means you pay nothing unless we recover for you. From there, our work includes investigating and preserving evidence, dealing with the insurance company so you do not have to, and valuing your claim fully, including future care. We have served injured people from our Issaquah office and throughout the greater Seattle area since 1986, and we handle cases across Washington.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to file a premises liability claim in Washington?

Generally three years from the date of injury, but evidence disappears much faster than that. Photos, camera footage, and witness memories are strongest in the first days and weeks.

What if I was partly at fault for my fall?

Washington uses pure comparative negligence. Being partly at fault reduces a recovery rather than eliminating it, so do not assume you have no case because you think you should have been more careful.

Is a minor fall worth talking to a lawyer about?

If you healed quickly and had no real medical care, probably not, and we will tell you so. If you had a fracture, surgery, a head injury, or lasting limitations, the conversation is worth having.

Who pays when a dog bites someone?

Usually the dog owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. Washington’s strict liability statute means the owner is responsible even if the dog had never bitten anyone before.

Talk It Through With Us

If you were hurt on someone else’s property and are not sure what to do next, Dean Standish Perkins & Associates is here to talk through your situation. There is no cost and no pressure, just a clear answer about where you stand. Call us at (206) 880-7162 or reach out through our online form, and we would be glad to speak with you.