Jefferson County · Apartment and common-area injuries
Lakewood Apartment Premises Lawyers
Injured in a Lakewood apartment's stairs, parking lot, or entryway? Free consultation. No attorney fee unless we recover for you.
Who Is Responsible for a Lakewood Apartment Injury
A landlord can be treated as a landowner for the common areas the landlord possesses or is responsible for maintaining. That includes stairwells, entryways, breezeways, and parking areas serving a Lakewood apartment complex. If a hazard in one of those shared spaces caused your fall or injury, the landlord's responsibility for that space is often the starting point of the claim.
That is different from a hazard inside a tenant's own unit. We do not assume a landlord is liable for every condition behind a tenant's door. Liability turns on who actually controlled the area and the condition that caused the injury, and that question looks different for a shared stairwell than it does for a unit's interior.
Colorado's premises liability statute, C.R.S. § 13‑21‑115, still applies in common areas. Your status on the property, and what the landlord knew or should have known about the hazard, shapes what has to be proven. We walk through those facts with you before we tell you what your claim looks like.
Building Records and Common-Area Evidence
Common-area cases often depend on records the landlord or property manager keeps: maintenance logs, work orders, prior complaint records, lighting inspection notes, and snow and ice removal logs for the stairs, walkways, or lot where you were hurt. We ask that these be preserved early, because a management company's routine records can be overwritten or discarded if no one asks them to hold on to it.
Photos of the stairs, railing, lighting, or icy walkway taken close to the time of the injury help establish the condition as it actually existed. Witness accounts from other tenants who saw the hazard or had complained about it before can also matter. If you were treated at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital or another facility after the fall, those records tie your injuries to the incident and the timeline.
- Photograph the stairs, railing, lighting, or surface where you fell, from more than one angle
- Report the incident to the property manager or landlord in writing and keep a copy
- Get contact information for any neighbors or witnesses who saw the hazard
- Seek medical care and keep records connecting your injuries to the fall
- Avoid detailed statements to the landlord's insurer until you've talked with a lawyer
Lakewood Apartments and Local Courts
Lakewood has a large stock of apartment and multi-family housing along corridors like West Colfax Avenue, Wadsworth Boulevard, and Kipling Street, plus complexes near Wheat Ridge and Golden. Common-area conditions in these buildings, poorly lit stairwells, worn parking lot surfaces, ice left on entry steps, come up often in the claims we handle for Lakewood tenants and visitors.
Claims arising from a Lakewood apartment injury are typically handled in Jefferson County Courts in Golden. We're based in Denver and regularly handle premises cases throughout Jefferson County, including apartment and common-area matters that go through the Golden courthouse.
Damages We Evaluate in Common-Area Cases
- Medical bills for treatment of fall or injury-related harm
- Future medical care if injuries require ongoing treatment
- Lost income from time away from work
- Pain and physical limitation from the injury
- Other out-of-pocket costs tied to the incident
What clients say about McCormick & Murphy
Real outcomes and reviews. Check Google reviews for the office that serves Lakewood — and read client testimonials.
After I was hit by a drunk driver with no insurance, my own insurer refused UM benefits. McCormick & Murphy sued for uninsured motorist benefits and bad faith. A jury awarded me over $900,000.
C. O., Denver · UM / bad-faith verdict
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its facts, coverage, venue, and evidence.
Lakewood Apartment and common-area injuries FAQ
Is my Lakewood landlord responsible for my slip on the stairwell?
It depends on who possessed or was responsible for maintaining that stairwell. Landlords are often responsible for shared common areas like stairs, entries, and parking lots. We look at the lease, maintenance history, and control of the space before answering that question for your situation.
What if I was hurt inside my own apartment unit, not a common area?
That's a different analysis than a common-area injury. Liability for conditions inside a leased unit depends on control and responsibility for that specific space, which is not automatic just because the landlord owns the building. We'd need to look at your lease and the specific hazard.
Does it matter why I was on the property when I got hurt?
Yes. Colorado's premises liability statute considers the injured person's status on the property, and that status affects what has to be shown in a common-area claim just as it would elsewhere. We evaluate your status as part of building the claim.
What records should I get from my Lakewood apartment complex?
Maintenance logs, prior complaint records, and snow or ice removal logs for the area where you fell are often useful. We can request that the property manager preserve these records early, before they're routinely discarded.
Where would a Lakewood apartment injury case be handled?
Cases arising in Lakewood are typically handled through Jefferson County Courts in Golden. We're based in Denver and regularly handle Jefferson County premises cases, including those involving apartment common areas.
Discuss a Lakewood premises injury
Free consultation. No attorney fee unless we recover for you.