If a store has unsafe conditions, it could be found responsible for your injuries.
Across the United States, stores are a vital part of our everyday life. Whether we shop at big chain stores or local mom and pop shops, we have the right to be reasonably safe while going about our daily business. If you are injured in a slip and fall at a store or other business, then you may have a legal claim against the store.
Slip and fall cases involve a concept known as premises liability. Ultimately, this means that owners of a property are required to maintain the property in a reasonably safe condition. If they fail to do so, then the property owner could be held legally responsible for any injuries that result.
Store owners have a heightened level of obligation to keep their stores safe because their businesses are open to the public (in comparison to the owner of a private home where strangers are not usually present). If there is a dangerous condition at a store and someone gets hurt as a result, then the store will likely be sued — and will often have to settle the case or may be found responsible at a trial. Of course, there are rules that apply to these types of cases. The store has to actually know of the dangerous condition and have had an opportunity to fix it. If someone drops a carton of eggs on the floor and another customer slips on the eggs 2 minutes later — before management knew or had a chance to clean it up — then the store can’t really be held responsible for the injuries. Similarly, the person had to be acting reasonably and in an expected manner. If a customer chooses to run and slide down an aisle or to allow their kid to ride on the bottom part of a shopping cart, then the store will not likely be held responsible for their injuries because that behavior is not something that the store workers expect and can prevent. Finally, the person had to be welcome on the property and not a trespasser. If a person breaks into a store after it is closed and gets hurt in the process, then the store won’t be held legally liable for their injuries.
There are many examples of cases where a store has been held responsible for injuries that customers suffered while on their property. A woman walking in a Home Depot parking lot was hurt when her cart hit a manhole cover that was hidden by water. A jury awarded her $950,000 for her injuries, even though the store claimed that the woman should have seen the manhole cover. A different woman fell on ice outside of a Wal-Mart store in New York and was then hurt by ice that fell off of the store’s roof. A jury awarded this woman $600,000 in damages for her injuries. At a Costco, a woman slipped on some liquid soap that had fallen, shattering her kneecap in the process. Because multiple employees had walked past the spill and did not clean it up, she was awarded $400,000 for her injuries.
Slip and fall cases arise frequently across the country. A skilled lawyer can evaluate the facts of your case to determine if you will be able to recover for your injuries from falling at a store. In California and Arizona, the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker can help you if you have been hurt at a store. Contact us at 800-333-0000 or info@larryhparker.com to schedule a free initial consultation. We never charge a fee unless we recover money for you!
