If a hazard on someone else's property injured you, a premises liability lawyer in Tacoma may help you hold the owner responsible.
The Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers represents injured customers, tenants, and visitors throughout Pierce County. You work directly with attorney Chong Ye, and we prepare every case as though a jury might hear it.
We serve clients in English, Spanish, Korean, and Tagalog.
Call 253-946-0577 for a free consultation, 24 hours a day.
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How Does The Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers Handle Tacoma Premises Liability Cases?
We handle Tacoma premises liability cases by moving fast on evidence, proving what the owner knew, and building each file as if a Pierce County jury might decide it.
Chong Ye works every case personally, so the personal injury attorney who meets you is the attorney who argues your claim.
Property cases turn on details that vanish quickly. Stores replace broken tiles, landlords fix railings, and camera systems record over old footage.
Our first moves in a new case usually include:
- Sending preservation letters that demand the owner keep video, incident reports, and cleaning logs.
- Photographing the hazard, the lighting, and the surrounding area before anyone changes them.
- Identifying every party with control over the property, including management companies and contractors.
- Collecting your medical records and connecting each injury to the fall.
Chong Ye's background in ministry and counseling shapes this work too. We take time to learn how the injury affects your family and your job, because no client here is a case file.
Our firm has obtained a $1.1M premises liability settlement against a school.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
What Does a Property Owner Owe You Under Washington Law?
A Washington property owner's duty depends on why you were on the property. Washington courts sort visitors into three groups (invitees, licensees, and trespassers) and assign each a different level of care.
| Visitor status | Who fits | What the owner must do |
|---|---|---|
| Invitee | Shoppers, restaurant guests, tenants in common areas, business visitors | Inspect for hazards, then fix or warn about dangers the owner knew of or reasonably should have found |
| Licensee | Social guests, such as a friend visiting a home | Warn about or fix known dangers the guest is unlikely to notice |
| Trespasser | Anyone on the property without permission | Avoid willful or wanton injury, with added protections for children |
Most Tacoma premises cases involve invitees, because they happen at stores, restaurants, apartment complexes, and businesses. The invitee standard gives injured customers the strongest protection.
Why Washington treats social guests differently
Many people are surprised that a friend's home carries a lower duty than a grocery store. Washington treats social guests as licensees, so a host must warn about hidden dangers they know about but need not inspect for unknown ones. Homeowner's insurance usually pays these claims, not your friend personally.
What Kinds of Unsafe Property Injuries Happen in Tacoma?
Unsafe property injuries in Tacoma often start with rain, age, and poor upkeep. The city's wet months, steep streets, and older buildings create hazards that owners must manage.
The Tacoma premises claims we see most often include:
- Slips on wet floors near store entrances, where customers track in rain.
- Trips on broken stairs, loose carpet, or uneven walkways at apartment complexes.
- Falls on moss-covered or slick exterior steps and ramps.
- Injuries from falling merchandise or poorly secured shelving.
- Assaults in parking lots, garages, and apartment grounds with poor lighting or broken locks.
Falls constitute a large share of these cases, and Tacoma slip-and-fall claims have their own evidence patterns. A serious fall often causes fractures, head trauma, and back injuries, much like the injuries we see most often in Tacoma after car crashes.
When Is a Tacoma Property Owner Liable for Negligent Security?
A Tacoma property owner may be liable for negligent security when a crime on the property was reasonably foreseeable and the owner failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it. Washington businesses owe invitees protection from foreseeable criminal harm by third parties.
Foreseeability drives these cases. In McKown v. Simon Property Group, a case that grew out of the 2005 Tacoma Mall shooting, the Washington Supreme Court held that this duty generally depends on prior similar incidents on the property.
Evidence that shows a crime was foreseeable
Proving that history takes digging. We look for:
- Police call logs and incident reports tied to the address.
- Earlier tenant or customer complaints about break-ins or assaults.
- Internal security reports, guard staffing records, and cutbacks.
- Broken gates, locks, cameras, or lights that went unrepaired.
Negligent security claims often involve more than one defendant, such as a property manager and a private security contractor. Each may carry its own insurance policy.
How Do You Prove the Owner Knew About the Hazard?
You prove an owner knew about a hazard through actual notice, such as a prior complaint, or constructive notice. Constructive notice means the danger existed long enough that a reasonable inspection would have found it. Notice is often the hardest part of a premises case.
Washington also recognizes an exception for self-service businesses.
Under Pimentel v. Roundup Co., a store may be liable without specific notice when its way of operating makes a hazard reasonably foreseeable. Spilled produce in a self-service aisle is the classic example.
Records and footage often fill the notice gap. The evidence that tends to help most includes:
- Cleaning or inspection logs with long gaps between entries.
- Earlier complaints or maintenance requests about the same spot.
- Video showing how long a spill or hazard sat before your fall.
What If the Owner Says You Should Have Seen the Hazard?
An owner who says you should have seen the hazard is making a comparative fault argument, and that argument rarely ends a Washington claim. Under RCW 4.22.005, any share of fault assigned to you reduces your compensation instead of eliminating it.
Juries look at the full picture when they weigh this argument, including:
- Whether poor lighting made the hazard hard to see.
- Whether displays or signs pulled attention away from the floor.
- Whether the owner posted a cone or warning near the danger.
- Whether the hazard blended into the surface, like clear liquid on light tile.
A store designed to draw your eyes toward merchandise has a weak case for blaming you for not staring at the floor.
How Long Do You Have to File a Premises Liability Claim in Tacoma?
You have three years from the date of injury to file a premises liability lawsuit in Washington under RCW 4.16.080. Claims against public property owners require an extra step first.
Some property types carry their own rules.
Public property
If you were hurt on City of Tacoma property, at a Pierce County facility, or on a public school campus, RCW 4.96.020 requires a written claim. You must then wait 60 days before filing suit.
Parks and recreational land
Parks may fall under Washington's recreational use statute, RCW 4.24.210. It limits liability for owners who allow free recreational access, except for known dangerous artificial conditions left without a conspicuous warning. If you are unsure which rule applies, call 253-946-0577 for a free review with Chong Ye.
FAQ for Premises Liability Lawyer Tacoma
Do I have a case if I slipped in a Tacoma store?
You may have a case if you slipped in a Tacoma store and the store created the hazard, knew about it, or reasonably should have found it. Self-service stores may face liability even without specific notice. Report the fall, keep your shoes, and talk with a lawyer before giving a recorded statement.
Who pays when you get hurt at an apartment complex in Tacoma?
The landlord, the property manager, or a maintenance contractor usually pays through a liability insurance policy when you get hurt at a Tacoma apartment complex. Washington's landlord-tenant law, RCW 59.18.060, requires landlords to keep common areas reasonably safe. Guests of tenants may have claims too.
What does a Tacoma premises liability attorney cost?
A Tacoma premises liability attorney at our firm costs nothing up front, because we work on contingency. Our fee is a percentage of any settlement or verdict, set in writing before work begins. Chong Ye walks you through that agreement during a free consultation.
Do I need an incident report to file a premises liability claim?
No, you do not need an incident report to file a premises liability claim, but one helps. If the business refused to make a report or you left before one was written, your photos, medical records, and witness names still carry weight. We may also request the owner's internal records directly.
Does signing a waiver stop me from suing a Tacoma business?
No, signing a waiver does not automatically stop you from suing a Tacoma business. Washington courts refuse to enforce waivers that cover gross negligence or that violate public policy. Trampoline parks, gyms, and climbing facilities often rely on waivers that reach further than the law allows.
What if I was hurt at a Tacoma hotel while traveling?
You may still bring a claim if you were hurt at a Tacoma hotel while traveling. Hotel guests are invitees, so the hotel owes a duty to inspect and repair hazards. We handle much of the case remotely, which helps if you live out of state.
Is it too late to file if I waited to see a doctor?
No, waiting to see a doctor does not by itself end your claim. Delayed treatment gives insurers an argument, but medical records that explain the delay often answer it. Get evaluated now and tell your provider exactly how the fall happened.
Take the Next Step With a Premises Liability Lawyer in Tacoma
Property owners often fix a hazard within days of a fall. Washington's evidence rules generally keep that repair from being used to prove negligence. The photos you take before the fix may be the clearest record of the danger that hurt you.
When you call The Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers, here is what you get:
- A free consultation, available 24/7.
- Direct work with Chong Ye, never a paralegal relay.
- Service in English, Spanish, Korean, or Tagalog.
- Contingency fees and a case built for trial.
Call 253-946-0577 and tell Chong Ye what happened. The sooner we see the property, the more of the evidence we may still preserve.