Slip and Fall Accidents in Stores
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Slip and Fall Accidents in Stores
When you go to a store to shop, you have the right to expect that the premises has been made safe for you. If you’re injured in a slip and fall caused by the store’s failure to make the premises safe or to warn you about hidden dangers and hazards, then you may be able to sue the store to compensate you for your pain and suffering as well as to pay for your medical bills and lost wages.
Slip and Fall Accidents in Stores:
- What You Need to Know
- The Impact of Store Slips and Falls
- Getting Legal Help After A Store Slip and Fall
- Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in Stores
- After a Store Slip and Fall Accident
- Understanding Your Legal Rights
- Proving the Store’s Negligence
- Michigan Statute of Limitations for Slip and Fall Lawsuits
- Building Your Store Slip and Falls Case and Filing Compensation
- Receive A Free Consultation from a Michigan Slip and Fall Attorney
- Frequently Asked Questions About Store Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and Fall Accidents in Stores: What You Need to Know
Slip and fall accidents in stores are among the most common non-workplace fall accidents. These accidents can cause serious injury or death. They occur before stores and property owners fail to inspect their premises, make necessary repairs and exercise reasonable care to ensure that their premises are safe for their customers. When customers are injured by a slip and fall caused by the store’s failure to carry out its duty to protect “invitees,” i.e., customers or people invited onto the property to do business with the store or owner, then the store and the property owner and anyone else who had possession and control over the property can be held liable for noneconomic and economic damages. Under Michigan’s slip and fall laws, a store’s owner is responsible when his or her negligence causes an injury.
The Impact of Store Slips and Falls
Most falls cause minor injuries, but some can cause serious concerns that lead to long-term medical care. For example, back and neck injuries from a fall can appear months and even years after an incident. Traumatic brain injuries from hitting your head can cause long-term problems. Severe injuries can even lead to paralysis or end in fatality.
These issues lead to lost wages due to time off work, high medical bills, and the need for ongoing therapy services. All of these add up to significant costs along with emotional suffering.
Getting Legal Help After A Store Slip and Fall
One of the most important things to do after a slip and fall accident is to seek legal help. If you have fallen in a store, our Michigan slip and fall attorneys can help you seek compensation for pain and suffering and damages to help you pay for your medical expenses and reimburse you for income you couldn’t earn because your injuries kept you from returning to work. You have the right to hold the store’s owner accountable and to fight for a settlement that actually reflects the true value of your case. We are an experienced, successful law firm that will ensure you get the compensation you need to move forward after your accident by making sure the evidence you need for your case is not destroyed and by stopping a negligent store or property owner from escaping responsibility by blaming you for your injuries.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in Stores
There are several hazards in a store that can lead to a slip and fall accident. These include:
- Wet floors: Water on the floor, whether from cleaning, condensation, or a spill, can make the floor slick.
- Improper signage: Wet floors and other hazards may be unavoidable, but store owners must put up signage to warn patrons of the risk. Lack of signage can increase the risk of a fall.
- Tripping hazards: Displays that hang out in the aisle or items dropped on the floor can put tripping hazards in the walkways of a retail store.
- Uneven flooring: Loose floor tiles, uneven steps, changes between flooring types, and steps without handrails can all create tripping hazards that increase fall risk.
After a Store Slip and Fall Accident
If you fall in a store, the first thing to do is take pictures or video of the scene and the hazard that caused you to trip. Then, alert the store’s management to the fall so you can file an incident report. This is crucial because it serves as proof that your slip and fall actually occurred and prevents the store from accusing you of lying, i.e., if you’d truly fallen, you would have filled out an incident report. Ask for the contact information of any witnesses to the fall. Next, seek medical attention. This visit allows you to get the medical care you need and start treatment as soon as possible. It also provides crucial documentation of your injuries that can strengthen your case.
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
Property owners are legally obligated to provide a safe place for patrons to shop. If they did not do so, and you fall, you can hold them liable. The key is understanding and proving negligence by the store’s staff or ownership.
Proving the Store's Negligence
You must prove that the store was legally negligent. Negligence requires four factors to be true, which are:
- The store had a duty of care to provide a safe place for its customers (who are legally referred to as “invitees”).
- The store failed to make its premises safe for its customers.
- The store’s failure to make its premises safe caused yourfall and resulting injuries.
- As a result of your fall, you suffered injuries requiring compensation as well as economic damages such as medical expenses and lost wages.
Under Michigan law, property owners such as stores have a duty under the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling in Kandil-Elsayed vs. F&E Oil, Inc., and Pinsky vs. Kroger Company of Michigan “to exercise reasonable care to protect invitees from an unreasonable risk of harm caused by a dangerous condition of the land.” This is the law that juries are instructed on in slip and fall and premises liability trials in Michigan. [1]
In the case of a retail store, this means that the store must, according to Stitt v. Holland Abundant Life Fellowship: (1) inspect the premises, (2) make any necessary repairs, and (3) warn invitees of any dangers such as tripping hazards or wet floors. Proving that the store’s owner did not exercise reasonable care to make the premises safe is necessary to seek compensation.
Michigan Statute of Limitations for Slip and Fall Lawsuits
Another important regulation in retail customer slip and fall lawsuits is Michigan’s statute of limitations. Under current state law, anyone filing a slip and fall case must do so within three years of the accident.[2] This regulation has no exceptions, so taking quick action is vital. Failure to move quickly puts your ability to file a claim at risk.
Building Your Store Slip and Fall Case and Filing Compensation
If you suspect you have a case that warrants a slip and fall lawsuit, contact an experienced attorney who specializes exclusively in this area of law right away. Your lawyer will help you build your case for compensation and damages that may include:
- Bills for medical treatment and therapy
- Lost current and future wages
- Expenses for hiring home help
- Medication expenses
- Emotional pain and suffering
- Long-term disability
- Costs of transportation to and from your medical appointments
- Lost quality of life
- Medication expenses
- Emotional pain and suffering
- Long-term disability
- Lost quality of life
Working with a skilled slip and fall lawyer will ensure you understand all the potential damages you can seek after a fall in a store. Legal representation also ensures you do not agree to a settlement below what you deserve. With the right attorney assisting with your slip and fall lawsuit, you increase the chances of winning a higher settlement amount, so you can focus on your healing while holding the store responsible for its negligent actions.
Michigan Slip And Fall Lawyers Frequently Asked Questions About Store 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.
How much can you claim from falling in a store?
Can you sue if you fall in a store?
If the store’s owner or staff is negligent and that negligence caused the fall, the victim can file a slip and fall in store lawsuit.
What happens after you fall in a store?
Nothing unless we win. Our Michigan slip and fall lawyers work on a one-third (1/3) or 33.3% contingency fee basis where we are paid only if we recover for you. Our attorney fee is a one-third percentage of the verdict or settlement that we win for our clients. Our attorneys will not cost you anything up front. You will not have to pay for litigation or investigation costs, nor experts or litigation costs up front or out of pocket. All of these costs are advanced on your behalf and are reimbursed from any recovery. If there is no recovery, there will never be a fee or any costs charged to you, guaranteed.
By working for you on a contingency fee basis, we only get paid if you get paid. No recovery, no fee.
What should you do immediately after falling in a store?
Immediately after falling in the store, note the area and take pictures if you can. Then, report the fall and seek medical attention. Finally, call an attorney to discuss your claim.
How long after a fall can you file a claim?
Claims for a slip and fall in a store must be filed within the state’s statute of limitations. In Michigan, that is within three years of the accident.
Do I have a case for a slip and fall on snow and ice?
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Get help from our Michigan slip and fall lawyers today
You do not have to go it alone after your slip and fall accident. Let the experience attorney Tim Holland and the lawyers at Michigan Slip and fall have on slip and fall cases along with their track record of getting the highest settlement amounts possible for their victims give you peace of mind, while they help to pick you back up and get you the compensation that you need and deserve to start rebuilding your life.
We pride ourselves on treating every client with care, compassion, and respect. We pride ourselves on communication and we will always be there when you need us. We will ALWAYS return your calls and emails and answer your questions.
To speak with an experienced slip and fall accident attorney about your injury, call us now, or fill out our contact form for a free consultation.
We will help you understand Michigan’s slip and fall law and answer all of your questions about how we can make the law work for you. There is absolutely no cost or obligation. We’re here for you now.
Meet Our Attorney
Tim Holland is arguably Michigan’s most experienced and successful slip and fall lawyer. You can read more about Tim Holland’s experience and success here.
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