Depending on someone’s shopping habits and household size, they may need to acquire groceries multiple times a week. Most people treat the trip to the supermarket or grocery store as a basic errand. Their goal is to get in and out as quickly as possible while spending as little as they can.
However, someone on a mission to purchase a loaf of bread or fresh bananas could end up getting hurt at a grocery store or supermarket. Slip-and-falls at retail establishments can cause broken bones, joint injuries and even brain injuries. Someone who just wanted supplies to make dinner or a drink to take to work might end up at the hospital. In more serious cases, they might miss quite a bit of work because they got hurt.
Oftentimes, slip-and-falls at grocery stores or supermarkets are caused by the following common concerns.
Unsafe entranceways
Every visitor to a facility may bring a little bit of the outdoor environment with them. People track in rainwater and dirt. They often try to brush or dry themselves off right by the front door. Therefore, absorbent rugs are crucial to help keep those spaces safe. However, many businesses do not train workers to properly anchor rugs or to inspect and clean them frequently enough to keep them safe. Unmaintained entranceways are a leading cause of slip-and-fall incidents.
Spilled merchandise
Maybe the local grocery store has a little coffee stand where people can pour themselves a cup to enjoy while they shop. Even a little bit of coffee spilled on the floor could lead to someone else falling. Dry goods like rice, damaged produce and possibly even smashed jars of salsa could create dangerous floor conditions that lead to someone losing traction. Spilled merchandise and broken items can easily lead to someone slipping and falling while at a grocery store or supermarket.
Poor facility or equipment maintenance
Maybe there has been a leak in the roof, but the cost to repair it has led to a delay in scheduling with the roofers. Perhaps there are issues with the refrigeration equipment that lead to them leaking. Any delayed maintenance or repairs could potentially cause water incursion and other risk factors, like items falling off of shelves and creating obstacles for customers. If the person who falls can reasonably claim that the company was negligent, then they may have ground spray premises liability lawsuits. Negligence involves failing to do what other reasonable people recognize is necessary for safety or doing something that is clearly unsafe.
Reviewing the factors that led to someone’s slip-and-fall with an attorney may help them determine whether the grocery store or supermarket responsible for their harm might be liable for their losses.