When you go to the grocery store, you have a right to expect that you will be reasonably safe from harm while shopping. Store owners and managers are responsible for keeping their premises safe and secure for lawful visitors. When they don’t, it’s only a matter of time before an accident leaves someone painfully injured.
Were you hurt in a slip and fall accident in a B.C. grocery store? Obtaining compensation can provide valuable resources to recover from your losses and provide financial security as you heal. An experienced Vancouver slip and fall lawyer from Warnett Hallen LLP can help you pursue the money and justice you deserve. Call or contact us today for a free consultation.
Causes of Grocery Store Slip and Falls
Grocery stores are full of potential hazards that increase the chances of a slip, trip, and fall accident. The most common causes of grocery store slip and falls include:
- Unattended spills: Employees should promptly clean any spills of wet produce or liquid products on the floor. When they fail to do so, customers are at serious risk of slip and falls.
- Lack of warning signs: When cleaning crews or environmental factors wet the floor, employees should place warning signs in prominent locations to alert customers of the potential danger.
- Loose flooring materials: Loose flooring, such as carpets, tiles, wooden planks, or mats, can trip customers and lead to devastating falls.
- Obstructions or debris: If grocery store workers leave clutter in aisles walkways, customers run the risk of tripping and falling.
- Defective steps or walkways: When steps are broken or crumbling, handrails are missing, or parking lots are full of potholes, customers are significantly more likely to injure themselves by falling.
What To Do After a Grocery Store Slip and Fall
If you slipped in a store, here’s what to do to protect your legal rights:
- Remain at the grocery store: Stay at the store unless you need emergency medical care after a slip and fall. This way, you can notify store employees and ensure your accident is taken seriously.
- Speak to the store manager: Locate the store manager or ask a nearby employee to find them for you. Explain what happened and where your slip and fall occurred. Then ask them to provide their business insurance information and preserve any security video footage for your premises liability lawyer’s review.
- Ask for a copy of the incident report: It’s best to have the store manager create an accident/incident report while you’re in the store. Keep a copy for your records.
- Seek prompt medical treatment: Even if you don’t feel seriously hurt, you could have injuries that appear later. See a doctor for a complete examination as soon as possible and tell them about your slip and fall accident.
- Talk to witnesses: If anyone saw you slip and fall, talk to them and get their contact information. They could provide valuable testimony in the future.
- Take photos of the accident scene: If you can, immediately take photos of the slip and fall location and any visible defects, spills, or obvious hazards that contributed to the accident.
Compensation for Slip and Fall Injuries
With a successful slip and fall claim, you could receive compensation to cover the costs associated with certain accident-related losses, such as:
- Medical expenses: Compensation can cover the previous, ongoing, and projected future costs of any medical care you need to treat your slip and fall injuries. This includes expenses related to hospital stays, doctor and specialist visits, and prescriptions.
- Out-of-pocket expenses: Any incidental expenses you incur as a result of the slip and fall could be covered, such as the costs of transportation to and from medical appointments.
- Lost wages: If your injuries forced you to miss work, you could receive money to make up for the value of your lost income.
- Lost earning potential: If your injuries are severe enough to cause a permanent or long-term disability that prevents you from returning to your usual job, you could seek compensation for losses in your future earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering: Slip-and-fall settlements can include the subjective costs of the physical pain and discomfort you endured due to your injuries. The costs of your psychological and emotional suffering may be covered as well.
Possible Defenses in a Slip and Fall Claim
When property owners or managers face slip and fall claims, they often try every tactic possible to minimize their own liability. Depending on the nature of your slip and fall accident, negligent property owners may use one or more of the following defenses to try to deny you coverage:
- You were trespassing when the slip and fall occurred. Property owners have no legal responsibility to ensure the safety of trespassers, so they may argue that you were in an unauthorized area when you slipped and fell.
- You slipped and fell because you were negligent or reckless. Visitors are expected to take reasonable precautions to ensure their own safety. The grocery store owner or manager may claim that you slipped and fell because you were negligently distracted or engaging in reckless behavior.
- You were injured because you failed to heed posted warning signs. If there were wet floor signs or other warnings posted in the grocery store, the owner might claim you were injured because you slipped and fell after ignoring them.
A lawyer can help protect you from these defenses and seek the compensation you deserve.
Contact a Vancouver Lawyer for Your Grocery Store Slip and Fall Case
Slip and fall injuries can have far-reaching impacts on your health, finances, and independence. If you were hurt in a Vancouver grocery store, you have the right to demand the compensation you need to recover.
At Warnett Hallen LLP, our team of trusted premises liability lawyers is ready to fight for you and the money you are owed. Contact us today to discuss the details of your case with an accomplished premises liability lawyer in BC.
