Sadly, the truth of the matter is that you can never guarantee your safety when you step outside your private property and into a public place. Another way to put it, while you can hope that the responsible party does everything in their power to keep the area safe for visitors, like you do on your premises, you can never write off the possibility of getting seriously hurt during your visit. If this is your case, please continue reading to learn whether you can sue if you get injured in a public place and how an experienced Pasco County personal injury lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help you handle this properly.
How might I get injured in a public place?
The public place where your personal injury accident took place is likely owned, managed, and operated by a federal, state, or local government agency. Below are just some examples that may closely resonate with how you might have gotten injured, usually in the form of a slip and fall:
- You might have been made the victim of a violent crime at a festival hosted at a locally-owned park.
- You might have slipped and fallen on a poorly constructed recreational area at a state-owned park.
- You might have slipped and fallen due to a cracked or loose step in front of a county-owned courthouse.
- You might have slipped and fallen due to uncleared weather-related debris on a city-owned sidewalk.
- You might have gotten into an auto accident due to a malfunctioning traffic signal on a city-owned street.
Can I sue a government agency if I get injured in a public place?
Suing a government agency over what you consider to be a minor personal injury accident may seem like a daunting task. However, no matter how seemingly minor, your accident may have left you with significant, long-term injuries and damages. This should give you enough confidence to hold the responsible federal, state, or local agency accountable with a legal action.
However, before you file your legal claim, you must remember the concept of sovereign immunity. This holds that, unlike with private entities, you must submit an official “notice of claim” with a government agency before you sue them. As the name suggests, this notice informs the agency of your accident, the unsafe condition on their premises that caused your accident, and your intention to take legal action to recover from your injuries and damages.
You should send out a notice of claim as soon as possible, because the statute of limitations for your personal injury claim is two years from your accident date. Also, you cannot file your lawsuit until 180 days have passed since you filed your notice of claim with a denial or without a response. So, the longer you wait to take this mandatory first step, the less time you give yourself to meet this strict legal deadline.
Before you find yourself in an even worse position, you must retain legal representation from the Merricks Law Group, P.A. A skilled Pasco County personal injury lawyer from our law firm will guide you on what to do.