Fall Hazards in Grocery Stores
Each day, thousands of people in Greenville dash into a store for last-minute shopping. Few expect to leave the grocers on a stretcher while being loaded into an ambulance. But grocery stores are full of hazards, and negligent owners make things worse by failing to warn customers of defects. Below, we look at some of the most common hazards that can trip you up and lead to a personal injury claim.
5 Serious Hazards
Many shoppers slip and fall because of the following:
- Water in the Produce Aisle
Grocery stores regularly mist their vegetables to make them appear fresh. Unfortunately, this mist can get on the floor and cause people to slip and fall. For this reason, many grocery stores put down mats in the vegetable aisle to absorb water and provide some traction for customers. But mats could be missing, worn out themselves, or placed too far apart. If you slip and fall, then the store is usually on the hook for this accident.
- Cracked Tiles Throughout the Store
Many stores still have tile floors, but loose or cracked tiles can cause someone to lose their footing. Stores should quickly repair any broken tile and regularly inspect the aisles.
- Air Conditioning Condensation
Air conditioners can drip condensation. Condensation on tile can easily become too slick and send people tumbling.
- Smashed Bottles
A customer could drop a pickle jar or juice bottle on the ground, causing a puddle. A customer coming up from behind could easily lose their footing.
Is the store responsible in this type of accident, where a customer’s carelessness caused the puddle? It depends on a few factors, one of which is time. How much time has passed between the customer dropping the bottle and you falling? A store gets a reasonable amount of time to fix a hazard, and they need to know about it first. If you fall within seconds of the bottle smashing, then the store might not be liable because they didn’t even have a chance to clean up the floor. But when staff wait too long to mop up the mess, or if they fail to warn customers, then they are legally liable.
- Freshly Waxed or Mopped Floors
A grocery store will usually have staff mop floors, even during the day. The store might also apply a fresh coat of wax as part of preventative maintenance. These actions can make the floor slippery. If you fall, you might hold the store liable. We want to know more about the facts of the case.
Contact Snyder Heitman Today
Fall accidents leave our clients with concussions, broken bones, back sprains, and more. These are significant injuries. Many customers cannot brace themselves because they are holding items to purchase and do not want to drop them. Contact Snyder Heitman LLC to talk with a Greenville slip and fall lawyer about whether you can seek financial compensation for your medical bills and other accident-related expenses. We serve Greenville, Spartanburg, and Upstate South Carolina.