While slip and fall cases seem fairly simple, there may be more to consider than victims may think. If you or a loved one has fallen in a business and been hurt, you should educate yourself about things by reading the information below.
Understand Your Own Responsibility
Make no mistake about it, businesses owe a greater share of liability to keep accidents from happening on their premises. However, the law also recognizes each person's own responsibility to be safe. If you are wearing unsafe high-heeled shoes and are not used to wearing them, you might not be able to prove that the business did anything wrong when you slipped and fell. Or take the case of someone who took a new medication that made them dizzy, and they fell. Everyone must share in the responsibility to keep safe in businesses.
What Businesses Owe Their Customers
When you visit a business, it's not like being in your own home. Not only are you probably unaware of hazards in a business but you are also unfamiliar with your surroundings, the hidden dangers, and more. For instance, a business owner may know that a freezer unit is malfunctioning and causing a leak in a grocery store. Customers are not expected to be wary around a freezer area without being warned. Warning and taking action to fix problems are the job of the business, not the customer.
The Burden of Proof
If you want to act against a business for causing you to slip and fall, you must prove that you did what you could to be safe and the business failed to do its part. For instance, if you walked into an employee-only area and slipped down, you may not be able to prove that you did everything you could to stay safe. However, if the store owner failed to place a sign that warned customers not to enter, then the store could be liable for damages.
As a victim, you must prove that the store was negligent in the way a hazard was handled. They failed to warn customers, they failed to create a safe shopping experience, and they failed to act when it became apparent that a hazard existed.
Speak to a Personal Injury Lawyer
You don't need to understand the surprising complexities of slip and fall law. Speak to a lawyer and let them evaluate the circumstances of the case for you. Then, you may be able to take action and be paid for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, lost personal items, and more.
For more information, contact a slip and fall accident attorney near you.
