Liability For Injuries At A College Party

September 8, 2014

Liability for injuries at a college party

With the beginning of the college football season in Pennsylvania and around the country, many students will be attending parties in dormitories, fraternities and off campus. Unfortunately, every year comes several stories of students being injured through falls, alcohol consumption or other causes. A question arises as to who may be liable for those injuries.

For example, if an underage person was given alcohol and was harmed due to consuming it, whoever provided the alcohol could be taken to court. If a person is hurt due to the negligence of others at a party, who could be named a defendant in a personal injury lawsuit? In most cases, the owner of the property or the person who hosted the party could be named as a defendant.

The person who hosted the party may be held liable under social host liability laws in the event someone was hurt after consuming too much alcohol. The property owner can be held liable due to premises liability laws that hold the owner responsible for keeping occupants safe. If a party takes place on school property, the school itself could be sued. However, there may be limits as to how much liability a public school could be exposed to.

Talking to a premises liability attorney may be beneficial for those who have been injured on someone’s property. Whether the injury occurs at a party or while walking a child to the front door from the car, the injured party may be able to file a personal injury suit. The attorney may be able to review the case and provide advice as to how to proceed.