Slipping and falling at a friend’s house can be both painful and awkward. While your first concern might be your injury, your second might be preserving your relationship. The good news is that Colorado law allows you to seek compensation for your injuries, typically through your friend’s homeowners insurance, not directly from their personal finances.
Under Colorado’s premises liability laws, property owners have a legal duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions for guests. When that duty is breached, whether due to a wet floor, broken stairs, or uncleared ice, and someone gets hurt, the owner may be held financially responsible. This applies to both private and commercial properties, including residences.
If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, it’s important to understand your rights and your options. At our firm, we help injured clients throughout Colorado file claims tactfully and effectively so you can get the care and compensation you need without turning a friendship into a financial dispute.
In Colorado, the level of care a homeowner owes you depends on your status as a visitor. If you were invited over socially, either for dinner, a birthday, or just to hang out, you’re legally considered a licensee. Property owners in Colorado owe licensees a duty to:
If you were on the property for a business purpose (for example, as a hired cleaner or contractor), you’d be considered an invitee, and the owner would have a higher duty of care, requiring them to both warn about and fix dangerous conditions they knew or should have known about.
Common hazards that lead to slip and fall injuries in residential homes include:
Whether or not your friend can be held liable depends on what they knew about the hazard and whether they acted reasonably to fix or warn you about it.
The biggest concern for many injury victims is not wanting to sue a friend. The good news is you’re not suing them personally; you’re filing a claim against their homeowners insurance.
Most homeowners insurance policies cover medical costs and liability for injuries that happen on the property, including those caused by negligence. This means that:
This approach allows you to preserve the relationship while still protecting your health and finances. Many people have insurance for exactly this reason; it’s there when accidents happen, even with people they care about.
For more details about how we handle these types of cases, visit our premises liability page.
If you’re injured in a slip and fall on someone else’s property, your first step should be getting medical attention. Even if your injuries seem minor, you may have underlying issues like a concussion, soft tissue damage, or fractures that don’t show symptoms right away.
After that, be sure to:
The sooner you act, the easier it will be to prove your case and access compensation.
Colorado uses a modified comparative fault system, which means your compensation can be reduced if you’re found partially responsible for your own injury. For example, if you were texting while walking and didn’t notice the wet floor, a court may find you 30% at fault. If your total damages are $10,000, you would receive $7,000.
If you are found to be more than 50% responsible, you cannot recover compensation at all. That’s why it’s essential to build a strong case showing the property owner’s negligence and why hiring a knowledgeable attorney is so important.
You don’t have to choose between your health and your relationships. If you’ve slipped and fallen at a friend’s house, it’s possible to recover compensation through their insurance without ever going to court or creating conflict. We’ll handle the legal side, communicate directly with insurers, and fight for the full value of your claim so you can focus on healing.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. We’ll help you understand your legal rights and explore your options after a slip and fall injury in Colorado.
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