Apartment Building Injuries in San Antonio | Apartment Accident Lawyers
If you or a family member were hurt at an apartment complex here in San Antonio, Texas, call Sneed & Mitchell LLP today at (866) 434-0014 for a free consultation. Our San Antonio Apartment Accident Lawyers help injured tenants and guests all across Bexar County. harmed by the actions of negligent property owners and management companies.
Getting hurt where you live is something most people never expect, and many accident victims are left dealing with hospital bills, time away from work, and a landlord who won't return their calls. At Sneed & Mitchell LLP, we go after the building owners and management companies whose neglect caused your injuries, and we make sure they are held accountable for it.
Our trial team has over 50 years of combined experience and many 7 and 8-figure settlements and verdicts for clients with serious injuries. From our office located here at 8940 Fourwinds Dr, San Antonio, TX 78239, we also assist throughout the County. All consultations are free and we handle all cases on a contingency fee. We also have a fully bilingual team if you need an attorney who speaks Spanish. Let us make a difference in your life, starting today.
Sneed & Mitchell LLP San Antonio Office Address: 8940 Fourwinds Dr, San Antonio, TX 78239
Sneed & Mitchell LLP Specializes in San Antonio Apartment Injury Cases
Sneed & Mitchell LLP is a high-stakes plaintiff firm that handles apartment accident and premises liability cases for families throughout San Antonio, Texas. We built our firm to get the most compensation possible for people hurt by unsafe rental properties.
Apartment Investigation Experts. We determine the contributing factors and liable entities behind broken gates, railings, fences, unlit stairs, obstructed walkways, water leaks, unsecured pools, and more.
Premises Liability Experts. Our attorneys bring in structural engineers, building code consultants, access control specialists, and property safety experts to look at the property and figure out whether a reasonable repair would have stopped the accident from happening.
Leading Apartment Injury Experts. We use maintenance logs, work orders, tenant complaints, and city inspection records to show exactly what the owner knew and when they knew it.
Lifetime Compensation Focus. A bad fall at an apartment complex can change a person's health, independence, work, and finances for the rest of their life. We build claims that account for future surgeries, lost earning capacity, long-term care, and the other losses that come later.
Proven High-Stakes Results. Our attorneys, including Brit Mitchell and Niles Sneed, have recovered eight-figure results and more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts for injured clients.
No Fee Unless We Win. Every case is handled on contingency, so you won't pay us any attorney's fees unless we recover money for you.
Proving an apartment injury case takes more than showing someone got hurt on the property. We put each case together around the owner's knowledge of the hazard, how long it was left unrepaired, and how the injury will affect our client's medical needs and quality of life going forward.
You Have Legal Rights After an Apartment Accident in San Antonio
When you are hurt at a San Antonio apartment complex, Texas law gives you real legal rights, and knowing them early can make a big difference in how your case turns out. Apartment injuries are rarely simple claims, especially when they involve falls from upper floors or injuries that keep you out of work for months.
As an injured tenant or guest, you generally have the right to:
Demand that evidence be saved. Your attorney can send a litigation hold letter that requires the owner and management company to keep security footage, repair requests, incident reports, maintenance logs, emails, and anything else connected to your accident.
Bring a lawsuit for your damages. You have the right to file a civil lawsuit here in Texas against the owner, the management company, or any other company that had control over the property, and to have your claims heard in court.
Have a jury decide your case. If your case goes to trial, a jury made up of people from your own community will hear the evidence and decide what your injuries are worth.
As additional insight, most apartment communities carry liability insurance, and many larger complexes also carry umbrella coverage. But because of this, the adjusters and defense lawyers working for those insurance companies tend to fight hard, and they will look for any reason to blame you or pay you less. Hiring an attorney early helps make sure your injuries, your losses, and your future needs are actually taken seriously.
Can You Sue An Apartment Complex for an Injury?
Yes, you can sue an apartment complex when an unsafe condition on the property played a part in the accident that injured you.
Just because you were hurt at an apartment doesn't mean the owner is automatically to blame. Texas law requires proof that the owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition, didn't fix it or warn anyone about it, and that the condition caused your injuries. Depending on the facts, the owner, the management company, and an outside repair contractor could all share responsibility.
Take a stairway handrail that has been wobbling for months. If tenants put in repair requests and the office never sent anyone out, the owner may be liable when someone grabs that rail and it gives way. Still, every accident is different, and the specific facts will decide who all can be held responsible.
Common Injuries in Apartment Building Accidents
The injuries we see in apartment cases are rarely minor. Falls from balconies and stairways, collapsing ceilings, and pool accidents often leave our clients with life-altering injuries that take months or even years to recover from.
Some of the injuries our Apartment Injury Lawyers have handled include, but are not limited to:
Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
Broken hips, wrists, ankles, and legs
Back and neck injuries, including herniated discs
Torn rotator cuffs and other shoulder injuries
Burns from electrical fires or faulty appliances
Crush injuries from heavy objects
Deep cuts, scarring, and disfigurement
Near-drowning injuries
PTSD, anxiety, and depression after the accident
Wrongful death
After an accident like this, it's normal to feel overwhelmed and not know what to do first. Our job is to take the legal side off your plate so you can focus on getting better, and to fight for the medical care and the recovery you need.
How Apartment Accidents Happen Here in San Antonio
Apartments across our city deal with some conditions you don't see everywhere, from long stretches of triple-digit heat to the occasional winter ice storm, and owners who don't plan for them put their tenants at risk. Some of the more common causes of apartment injuries here include:
Broken or loose railings on balconies, breezeways, and exterior stairs, which are especially dangerous on second and third floors
Icy stairways and walkways during winter storms, when management fails to treat or close off slick surfaces
Air conditioning failures in the summer, which can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, especially for elderly tenants and young children (San Antonio requires rental units to have air conditioning that can keep the inside at or below 82 degrees)
Cracked and shifting sidewalks, parking lots, and foundations, which show up often in older complexes built on the area's clay soil
Roof leaks and ceiling collapses after hail and heavy rain that management never properly repaired
Poorly lit parking lots, stairwells, and walkways that make it hard to see tripping hazards or who is around you
Pool areas with broken gates, missing fencing, or no posted safety rules
Exposed wiring, faulty outlets, and blocked fire exits
Elevators, entry gates, and laundry machines that are broken or poorly maintained
Dog attacks on the property when management knew about an aggressive animal
Broken door locks, gates, and other security features that let intruders onto the property
Unsecured railings that cause tenants or guests to suffer fall injuries.
Each of these situations can support a premises liability claim if the apartment owner knew, or should have known, about the danger and didn't take reasonable steps to fix it. If one of these conditions caused your injury, a Premises Liability Attorney can look at what happened and tell you whether you have a claim.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a San Antonio Apartment Accident?
Under Texas law, people hurt in apartment accidents can recover both economic and non-economic damages. Part of building a strong case is making sure every loss is identified and backed up with records before any settlement is discussed.
Economic Damages
Medical Bills: Ambulance, ER, surgery, hospital stays, physical therapy, and the cost of future treatment.
Lost Income: The paychecks you missed while you were hurt and recovering.
Reduced Earning Ability: Money for the income you'll lose in the future if you can't go back to the same work.
Accessibility Changes: Ramps, grab bars, wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and other changes your injury requires.
Future Care: Home health care, medical equipment, and other costs you are reasonably expected to have going forward.
Non-Economic Damages
Pain and Suffering: The physical pain you have lived with since the accident.
Mental Anguish: The emotional toll of the injury, including anxiety, depression, or PTSD.
Physical Impairment: Lasting limits on your ability to move, walk, lift, or take care of yourself.
Disfigurement: Scars and other permanent changes to your appearance.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life: Missing out on the hobbies, activities, and time with family you enjoyed before.
Punitive Damages
In rare cases, a jury can also award punitive damages to punish an owner whose conduct went beyond carelessness. Under the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, these damages require clear and convincing evidence of fraud, malice, or gross negligence. That means an owner who was warned a balcony was about to fail and did nothing could face punitive damages, but most cases involving a missed repair will not.
Why Choose Our San Antonio Apartment Accident Lawyers
Not every law firm is set up to take on large apartment owners. Many San Antonio complexes are owned by out-of-state investment groups with insurance companies and defense lawyers already in place, and they don't settle just because you ask. At Sneed & Mitchell LLP, we know how these owners and their insurers operate.
When you hire our firm, you get:
Over 50 years of combined trial experience
More than $100 million recovered for our clients
A San Antonio office close to where you live and work
A free, confidential consultation
Contingency fees, so there is no fee unless we win
Lawyers who focus on premises liability and apartment injury cases
We get every case ready for trial from day one. Insurance companies know which firms will actually go to court, and that preparation is often what moves them to make a fair offer.
Proving Negligence in a Premises Cases
To hold an apartment owner or management company responsible, your attorney has to show that they were negligent under Texas premises liability law. We do that with site inspections, opinions from engineers and safety consultants, photos and video, repair records, and testimony from tenants and employees. That evidence has to prove each of the following:
The Owner Knew About the Danger
We have to show the owner knew, or should have known, about the condition that hurt you. Tenant complaints, work orders, emails to the leasing office, and past inspection reports are usually the best proof. Under Section 92.052 of the Texas Property Code, landlords also have to make a diligent effort to repair conditions that materially affect a tenant's health or safety after getting notice, so a written repair request can go a long way. Even if nobody reported it, an owner can still be responsible if a reasonable inspection would have caught the problem.
The Condition Was Unreasonably Dangerous
The hazard has to be one that posed a real risk of injury, like a rail that moves when you lean on it, a missing stair tread, or a dark stairwell. A minor flaw that anyone would see and step around may not be enough.
The Owner Didn't Fix It or Warn Anyone
Once the owner knew, they had to repair the problem, block off the area, or at least warn people. Repairs that were put off, patched with a quick fix, or never done at all point to negligence.
The Condition Caused Your Injury
There has to be a direct link between the hazard and your injuries. Medical records, photos of the scene, surveillance video, and witnesses all help connect the two.
You Had a Right to Be There
Tenants, their guests, and workers making deliveries are generally owed a duty of reasonable care in the common areas the owner controls, like stairs, walkways, pools, and parking lots. Injuries inside your own unit can be handled differently, depending on your lease and whether you asked for the repair.
You Suffered Real Damages
Finally, the injury has to have caused losses that can be measured, like medical bills, lost paychecks, and ongoing pain. Your medical records, bills, and the testimony of your doctors are what prove these damages.
What Happens If You Were Partly at Fault?
You can still recover money in Texas as long as you were not more than 50 percent at fault for the accident.
Texas uses what's called proportionate responsibility under Section 33.001 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. That means a jury assigns each side a percentage of fault, and your award goes down by your share. For example, if a local jury decides you were 25 percent responsible for a fall on a broken stairway, you would still receive 75 percent of your damages. If you are found more than 50 percent at fault, though, you can't recover anything.
Apartment owners and their insurers almost always try to put some of the blame on the person who got hurt, whether it's saying you weren't paying attention or that the hazard was obvious. Every point of fault they put on you takes money out of your recovery, which is why it pays to have a lawyer pushing back.
How Long Do You Have to File a Premises Liability Lawsuit?
In most cases, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit, according to Section 16.003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.
That means the deadline keeps running even while you are still in treatment or talking with the insurance company. Some cases, like those involving injured children or apartments owned by a government housing authority, can have different deadlines or notice rules, so it's best to talk with a lawyer as soon as you can.
Why Saving Evidence Quickly Matters
Apartment complexes don't keep evidence forever. Security cameras often record over themselves within days, repairs get made, and maintenance records can go missing. That's why one of the first things our Premises Liability Attorneys do is send a litigation hold letter, sometimes called an anti-spoliation letter, to every party that may be responsible.
That letter requires them to keep:
Security camera footage
Work orders and maintenance logs
Tenant complaints and messages to the leasing office
Incident reports and employee emails
Inspection records and code compliance history
The sooner this letter goes out, the better your chances of proving what the owner knew and how long the problem was ignored. Talk with a Sneed & Mitchell lawyer about your apartment accident today by calling (866) 434-0014, or leave us a message online and we'll get back to you right away.
Why Are So Many Renters Getting Hurt?
A majority of San Antonio households now rent, according to an April 2026 report from KERA News, and the City of Dallas has reported that about 40 percent of residents live in apartments. You would expect that with so many people depending on apartments, owners would keep their buildings in good shape. But unfortunately, that is not always what happens.
The city's Minimum Property Standards cover things like structural safety, lighting, electrical, plumbing, and security, and multi-family properties have to register with the city and go through periodic inspections. Even so, plenty of older complexes across San Antonio County still have worn-out stairs, aging balconies, and repair problems that owners put off for years. A code violation alone doesn't prove your case, but an owner's citation history can show just how long they knew about a problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Hire a Lawyer After an Apartment Accident in San Antonio, Texas?
Yes. Apartment owners and their insurers usually dispute who is at fault and try to settle for as little as possible. A lawyer can investigate, preserve the evidence, and push for the full value of your claim.
Can I Sue My Landlord If I Was Hurt in a Common Area?
Yes. Owners are generally responsible for keeping the stairways, walkways, pools, and parking lots they control reasonably safe, and tenants here can bring claims when those areas cause injuries.
Can a Guest or Visitor File a Claim?
Yes. Guests, delivery drivers, and other people lawfully on the property can also bring claims if an unsafe condition injured them.
What If the Apartment Says It Was My Fault?
You may still recover money as long as you were not more than 50 percent at fault, though your award would be reduced by your share.
Does Every Case Go to Trial?
No. Most apartment injury cases settle, but we prepare each one for trial from the start, and that preparation usually leads to better offers.
How Much Will It Cost Me?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency, so we only get paid if we recover money for you.
Contact a San Antonio Apartment Building Injury Lawyer
Your apartment is supposed to be the one place you feel safe, but for too many renters here in San Antonio, that isn't the case. If you or someone you love was hurt at an apartment complex because the owner ignored a dangerous condition, we want to hear what happened.
Our Apartment Injury Lawyers at Sneed & Mitchell LLP help injured tenants and their families across the Greater San Antonio area recover compensation for their medical bills, lost income, and pain. Call us at (866) 434-0014 or send us a message through our online form for a free consultation. We can come to your home or hospital room if you can't make it to us, and we have Spanish-speaking attorneys on our team.
When you call, we'll listen to what happened, walk you through your options, and give you a straight answer about whether you have a case. The consultation costs nothing, and you won't owe our firm a dime unless we recover money for you.
