When you go to your local grocery store to pick up some essentials for your week, you might have a list of things that you need. You might need food for lunches at work, or you may need ingredients for meals that you’re preparing with the family during the week.
No matter what your reasons are for going grocery shopping, the one thing that is on no one’s list is a broken bone. This is the kind of injury that happens frequently when Americans slip and fall inside grocery stores.
Large store chains and supermarkets, though convenient places to shop for the family groceries, can pose serious threats to the health of customers if standards of cleanliness are not kept up to a reasonable level of customer safety. In some instances, wet or dirty floors can result in slipping, tripping or falling both inside and outside the premises. When slip and fall accidents occur, people may experience minor to severe injuries, both physical and emotional, that could have a permanent impact on the victim’s life. In addition, their families may need to provide constant care if the victim’s injuries are devastating.
Under the law, slip and fall accidents are often compensable because of the simple fact that they are usually preventable. Supermarkets and chain stores owe a duty to their patrons to maintain their buildings and outside premises in a safe condition. When these companies fail to eliminate potential hazards, they may be held liable for any injuries or lasting effects that follow.
According to lawyersandsettlements.com, a man from Douglasville, Georgia won a personal injury lawsuit against the large, corporate supermarket company, Kroger. Represented by attorneys at Panish, Shea & Boyle, the man slipped on some crushed fruit while shopping in the deli section of his local grocery store. He fell directly on his back and broke his spine in several places.
In his lawsuit, the plaintiff claimed that his injuries required surgeries totaling over $135,000. He was also forced to retire early, as he was unable to work because of his back condition. When the case went to trial, the plaintiff sought video evidence from the store’s surveillance cameras. Kroger, however, had either lost or destroyed the video prior to the trial. Evidence was shown that the camera footage needed would have definitely caught the slip and fall incident on video.
In the end, a judge awarded the plaintiff $2.3 million in compensatory damages.
