Grocery Store Slip and Fall Accidents
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Grocery Store Slip and Fall Accidents
If you’ve suffered an injury from a slip and fall in a grocery store, you may be able to recover compensation for your pain and suffering and money damages to cover your medical expenses and economic losses to provide a financial lifeline for you and your family if you have been disabled from working due to your injuries.
An experienced slip and fall attorney can help you protect your legal rights to full compensation and fight to get you the best possible settlement recovery.
What To Know About Slip and Falls in Grocery Stores
Slip and fall accidents happen frequently in grocery stores. Largely this is because customers or employees can drop or spill items on the ground that then become a dangerous slip hazard for unsuspecting shoppers. This danger is exacerbated by the hard and polished floors that almost all grocery stores have as it makes it easier for grocery stores to clean up spills, erase scuff marks, and sweep up trash. But these floors also make dropped or spilled items and wet floors from rain and snow that is tracked into the grocery store by customers and employees an even more dangerous hazard.
This makes it extremely easy to slip and fall in grocery stores if management and employees are not using reasonable care – such as periodically checking floors – to make sure the premises are safe for customers.
But when an accident does occur and you or a loved one is injured, the grocery store’s attorneys and insurance companies will make it very difficult to recover the compensation and damages you are legally entitled to – unless you are represented by an experienced premises liability lawyer who has the skills and “know how” to get you full and fair compensation for your injuries.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents at the Grocery Store
Due to the nature of the business, grocery stores are busy public venues that present many risks for slip and fall accidents.[2] These include:
- Neglect of maintenance of floors, aisles, and entrances
- Spills of liquid food products
- Tracked in snow, rain, and mud
- Leaks from refrigerated display units
- Failure to place warning signs on recently mopped or waxed floors
- Obstructions and clutter in aisles
- Loose or bunched-up floor mats
- Uneven or broken floor tiles
What to Do After A Slip and Fall in A Grocery Store
If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall in a grocery store, what you do afterward is critical to your ability to maximize your recovery of compensation and money damages in your grocery store slip and fall settlement. Following these guidelines will help you and your attorney to ensure you receive the full and fair compensation you deserve.
- Report the incident to the store manager on duty and make sure to get a copy of the report that you filed
- Document the incident as much as possible with photos and videos, paying close attention to the circumstances of the scene and the dangerous condition that caused your slip and fall
- Interview witnesses if you are able to at the scene and get the names and contact information of the witnesses
- Preserve any evidence of the accident, including your clothes and shoes, medical bills and records, and prescriptions from your doctor
- Seek medical attention, even if your injuries seem minor
- Keep records of your medical treatment, including all doctor visits, procedures, surgeries, and diagnostic tests
- As soon as possible, consult with a experienced slip and fall attorney who specializes exclusively in these types of premises liability cases
Documenting Your Injuries and Medical Care
The most common injuries reported after a grocery store slip and fall accident include:
- Concussions
- Fractures and broken bones
- Cuts and abrasions
- Head injuries, including traumatic brain injuries
- Injuries to elbows and knees
- Back, neck, and spinal injuries
- Broken and chipped teeth
- Emotional trauma
It’s critical that you seek medical care immediately after your accident, even if you don’t think you’ve been seriously injured. It’s not uncommon for symptoms to be delayed for weeks or even months after an injury. [3] Never state to anyone that you are “okay” or unhurt. Retain all records of your medical treatment.
Gathering Evidence at The Accident Scene
Proving liability in a grocery store slip and fall lawsuit comes down to the evidence. If possible, take pictures and video of the area where you fell and the dangerous condition or hazard that caused your fall. Talk to people who witnessed the accident, getting their names and contact information. Also, ask the store manager for a copy of the store surveillance footage. Finally, fill out an incident report and make sure that the manager receives it. In the report, you can write out your request for a copy of the video surveillance footage. And make sure you receive a copy of the incident report that you filed.
As you move through these steps, keep careful records of all injury-related expenses. These will become part of your case. If there is additional evidence to gather apart from the photos you took, keep it as well.
Understanding Your Legal Rights After A Grocery Store Slip and Fall
You have the legal right to sue to be compensated for your injuries and economic damages after you were injured in a grocery store slip and fall. You have the legal right to hold the grocery store accountable for your injuries when the store has failed to protect you – a customer – “from an unreasonable risk of harm caused by a dangerous condition” on the grocery store’s property. (M Civ JI 19.03) This means that you have a legal right to compensation and money damages if the grocery store failed to “make the premises safe” for customers like you – as required by the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision in Stitt v. Holland – by failing to do any or all of the following:
- Inspecting the premises
- Making necessary repairs
- Warning customers about known dangers and discovered hazards
Proving The Grocery Store's Negligence
To prove the grocery store’s negligence in causing your slip and fall accident and injuries, you will need evidence to show:
- The grocery store owed you a duty of care to protect you – as a customer – from dangerous conditions and to make the premises safe for you.
- The grocery store breached its duty of care to you and other customers by failing to inspect the premises and make necessary repairs or failing to warn you about dangerous conditions and other hazards.
- The grocery store’s breach of its duty caused your fall and your resulting injuries.
- Your slip and fall injuries caused you pain and suffering, caused you to incur medical bills and expenses for your care and treatment, and caused you to lose wages and earnings because your injuries disabled you from working.
Michigan's Statute of Limitations for Slip and Fall Lawsuits
The statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit for a slip and fall in a grocery store in Michigan is three years from the date of the accident. There are certain exceptions to this if the plaintiff was mentally incapacitated or a minor at the time of the injury. But in most cases, it’s essential to contact an experienced Michigan slip and fall attorney to begin legal action as soon as possible after the incident. If you file a lawsuit after the three-year window, your slip and fall lawsuit will likely be dismissed.
Building A Strong Grocery Store Slip and Fall Case
To build a strong grocery store slip and fall case so that you get full and fair compensation for your injuries, you will need compelling and persuasive evidence proving that your fall and injuries were the result of the grocery store’s negligence.
The evidence you will need includes: :
- Pictures and videos—Take photos and video of the accident scene, preferably immediately after the accident.
- Witness statements— If you are able to get statements (written or taken by video on a camera phone) from witnesses at the scene, then do so. At a minimum, get the names and contact information of witnesses so your attorney and his or her investigator can contact the witnesses and interview them about your accident.
- Incident reports—File your own accident report. Also, ask store management for accident reports filed after your fall.
- Surveillance footage—Request any camera footage that might have captured the accident as it happened.
- Clothing and footwear—Be prepared to show the clothes and shoes you wore when the slip and fall occurred.
- Medical records—These will show the extent and severity of your injuries, the treatment you received, and how much you were billed for treatment.
- Expense documentation—Be prepared to show proof of all expenses incurred because of your accident, including time off work and traveling to and from medical appointments.
Your slip and fall attorney may want to present additional evidence, including testimony from expert witnesses and records of similar incidents that have occurred at the grocery store where you were injured.
Eligibility to File a Slip and Fall Lawsuit in Michigan
Anyone who has slipped and fell in a grocery store in Michigan can file a lawsuit against the store. Receiving compensation in slip and fall grocery store settlements depends on proving negligence on the store’s part and the extent of your injuries and damages. Your ability to recover full and fair compensation for your injuries will be substantially greater if you are represented by one of our experienced attorneys who specialize exclusively in maximizing the settlement value of slip and fall claims like yours.
Potential Damages Recoverable in A Grocery Store Slip and Fall Settlement
The possible damages that an attorney may be able to recover for you in grocery store slip and fall cases are considerable and include, but may not be limited to, the following:
- Pain and suffering – This includes physical pain and suffering as well as mental anguish, fright and shock, embarrassment, humiliation and mortification, and loss of social pleasures and enjoyments. (M Civ JI 50.02)
- Medical expenses—All costs incurred from treating your injuries, including hospitalization, surgery, medication, medical equipment, follow-up doctor’s visits, physical therapy, and potential future care.
- Lost wages – Any loss of income from being unable to work due to your injuries, including loss of potential future income if you suffer a permanent disability.
- Wrongful death – If the accident resulted in death, families can recover funeral expenses as well as damages for loss of companionship and loss of financial support that a loved one had previously provided.
The actual amount of compensation awarded will depend on several factors, including:
- The coverage limits of the grocery store’s liability insurance policy
- The nature and extent of your injuries
- Your current and future medical needs
- Whether your injuries have disabled you from working and whether they will continue to do so in the future
Importance of Legal Representation in Grocery Store Slip and Fall Cases
Retaining the services of an experienced attorney who specializes exclusively in grocery store slip and fall cases in Michigan can be crucial to recovering full and fair compensation for your injuries. Your lawyer will ensure your rights are protected throughout the complex legal processes and procedures. He or she will be able to collect and present the evidence necessary to show negligence on the store’s part. Your attorney will also be skilled at negotiating with insurance companies to ensure you receive the maximum compensation you are legally entitled to.
Injured in a Grocery Store Slip and Fall Accident? Call now!
Michigan Slip and Fall Lawyers is here to help you no matter where your grocery store slip and fall accident occurred. Our nationally recognized attorneys specialize exclusively in getting maximum settlement value for people who have been injured or lost loved ones in grocery store slip and fall accidents. If you were injured in a grocery store outside Michigan, then we will join forces and co-counsel with the best premises liability lawyers in your state to get you full and fair compensation on your claim. We can also help connect with an experienced slip and fall lawyer who shares the same high professional and ethical standards that we do.
Call us now (248) 254-8357 for a free, no-cost, no-obligation, consultation with one of our experienced slip and fall lawyers. We will answer all of your questions about your legal rights to pain and suffering compensation and to money damages for medical expenses and lost wages and earnings.
We will never charge a fee or a cost unless we deliver a winning recovery for you first.
MICHIGAN SLIP AND FALL LAWYERS
Frequently Asked Questions About Grocery Slip and Fall Accidents
If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident, you probably have questions about what you should do next, whether you should retain a Michigan slip and fall lawyer, how much an attorney will cost, and how much compensation you may be entitled to.
To get answers to your questions, please read our FAQs or call us for a free consultation now for immediate help.
What happens when you fall in the grocery store?
You can suffer serious injuries, including fractures, broken teeth, concussions, abrasions, head injuries, and spinal damage. Seek medical attention immediately, even if you don’t think you’re injured because the full extent of your injuries may not become clear until hours, days, weeks or even months after your accident.
What to do if you get injured in a supermarket?
Document the incident with pictures and videos of the accident scene, collect witness statements, inform the store management, retain medical records, keep track of the wages you have lost because your injuries have kept you from working, and call an experienced slip and fall attorney.
What is the number one cause of injuries in stores?
Slips and falls are the leading cause of injuries in grocery stores, affecting millions of Americans each year.
Is a business legally responsible for damages?
A commercial business is legally obligated under premises liability laws to take reasonable care to protect its customers from a dangerous condition on the property and must make the premises safe for customers. If the business is found negligent and liable for the accident, they are responsible for providing compensation for damages.
Get Help Today From the Best Michigan Slip and Fall Lawyer for Your Case
You do not have to go it alone after your slip and fall accident. Let attorney Tim Holland help pick you up, get you back on your feet, and help get you the compensation and economic recovery you need to start rebuilding your life.
Tim prides himself on treating each and every client with care, compassion, and respect. Tim goes the extra mile to be available when his clients need him. Tim will ALWAYS return your calls and emails and answer all of your questions.