The main point of a slip-and-fall case on commercial property, such as a retail store, involves whether the store was negligent or careless in keeping the premises safe for customers. This issue is legally known as premises liability, and it’s the issue that an Accident Attorney must closely examine before accepting a case. A retail store is not necessarily responsible when someone slips or trips and falls there if there is no evidence that the premises were unsafe. These situations can be very complex.
For example, consider a store aisle with a few boxes on the floor that an employee has yet to finish unloading for stocking shelves. Most customers will easily navigate around those boxes. Someone who is distracted by reading a text message on a cell phone, however, may never see the boxes. He or she might trip over one of them, fall on the hard floor and suffer a bone fracture. Who is at fault: the customer or the store? The store’s insurer may decide this is the customer’s fault and refuse to pay for medical bills. An Accident Attorney weighs the evidence and determines whether or not the injured person has a good case.
Another complicated situation might involve a customer who tried to navigate through an area with a wet floor, then slipped and fell. The store is expected to put up caution signs or other alerts that point out the problem area to the customers. If no alerts were set up for a floor that had recently been wet mopped, the store most likely would be viewed as negligent.
However, if the customer ignored a yellow caution sign, this person may not have a good case for premises liability. But what about a situation in which a cooler leaks fluid onto the floor and the store manager claims nobody had discovered the problem yet? A law firm such as Business Name will want to know whether this is a reasonable assertion on the store’s part and whether any evidence contradicts this. This type of law firm provides free consultations so injured persons can learn whether they should expect financial compensation from the commercial establishment. You can also connect them on Facebook for more updates.
