California Grocery Store Slip & Fall Lawyers

Between produce-watering equipment, liquid products, rain seeping through doors, and customers tracking in snow, it’s no wonder a slip and fall in a grocery store is commonplace. Understandably, you want to know who is responsible for your injuries. To learn more about your rights in California, please get in touch with our California grocery store slip and fall attorneys at Silva Injury Law today.

Common Causes Of Grocery Store Slip-And-Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents in grocery stores can be caused by numerous factors, including:

  • Wet or slippery floors: Spills or leaks on the floor can create a significant hazard.
  • Poor lighting: Dim or poorly placed lighting can make it difficult to see hazards on the floor, increasing the risk of falls.
  • Cluttered aisles: Cluttered aisles with boxes, bags, or other debris can create tripping hazards and increase the risk of falls.
  • Uneven or slippery floor surfaces: Floors that are uneven or have a slick surface can also increase the risk of falls.
  • Improper maintenance: A grocery store must properly maintain its premises, including cleaning up spills and fixing hazards. Otherwise, these hazards increase the risk of slip and fall accidents in a grocery store.

Grocery stores must do their best to prevent slip and fall accidents. They can do this by regularly inspecting and maintaining their premises, properly training employees to avoid accidents, and promptly cleaning up any spills or hazards that occur during the course of the day.

Is The Grocery Store Liable For Your Injuries?

Whether a grocery store is liable for a slip and fall accident depends on the circumstances. Generally, a grocery store could be responsible for a slip and fall accident if you can show the store was negligent and this negligence caused the accident.

To successfully prove negligence, you must provide evidence of the following:

  • The store owed you a duty of care,
  • The store reached this duty of care,
  • This breach caused your accident, and
  • You suffered financial losses from the incident.

For example, suppose the store management knew or should have known about a hazard on the premises and failed to take steps to fix it or to warn customers about it. If this hazard caused you to fall, the store might be liable for the accident. We say “might” because, again, it depends on the circumstances. If something was spilled on the floor and you immediately slipped, the store might not be legally responsible if they did not have enough time to take action and clean up the spill. However, if the spill was there and not cleaned up for hours, your case against the grocery store would be much stronger.

It is important to remember that each case is different and that the specific circumstances of your case will determine whether the grocery store is liable for your injuries.

What To Do Following A Slip And Fall In A Grocery Store

The steps you take immediately following a slip and fall are crucial. You don’t want to give the insurance company any reason to doubt the validity of your claim or the severity of your injuries. If you suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident in a grocery store, it is important to take the following steps.

Report the Accident to the Store

If you fall in a grocery store, you should report the accident to the store manager as soon as possible. They may need to fill out an accident report and may also need to take steps to clean up the area where the accident occurred.

Seek Medical Attention

It is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Even if you do not think you are seriously injured, you need to get checked out by a medical professional to ensure that you have not sustained any internal injuries. Also, any delay in treatment will be used against you by the defendant’s insurance company.

Preserve Evidence

Try to take photos or videos of the area where you fell and any hazards that may have contributed to your fall. Be careful, though. You should not attempt to take photos if you could risk further injuring yourself. You should also note any witnesses to the accident and get their contact information. Witness statements and photographic evidence can be important later in the claims process.

Document Your Injuries

Keep track of any injuries or damages you sustained due to the fall, including medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses. You might be able to seek compensation for these damages from the store or the property owner. Be sure to include notes on how your injuries affected your day-to-day life, how severe your pain levels are, etc.

Speak with a Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you sustained severe injuries in a slip and fall accident, speak with a personal injury lawyer at Silva Injury Law. We can help you understand your legal rights and options.

Why You Should Hire A California Slip And Fall Lawyer

Slip and fall cases tend to be complex. It is best to have an experienced legal advocate on your side. Many insurance companies undervalue slip and fall cases or even deny them altogether because people often attempt to fake such injuries—and this has left insurance companies suspicious of fraud.

Another reason they might deny or undervalue your claim is the lack of evidence. When you have Silva Injury Law representing you, we’ll work hard to gather and preserve all evidence that supports your claim for damages. Insurance companies also look at any blame they can place back on you. That’s because California is a pure comparative negligence state. Any percentage of fault they can shift to you saves them money.

When you have a California grocery store slip and fall lawyer from Silva Injury Law representing you, we’ll handle all communication and potential settlement negotiations on your behalf. You don’t need to worry about speaking with the insurance adjuster or the grocery store’s attorney when you have us on your team. In other words, you don’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing because we will speak on your behalf.

We will also ensure you meet all legal deadlines. Under the statute of limitations, you typically have two years to file a lawsuit for a slip and fall in California. If you miss that deadline, the court will likely dismiss your entire case.

Don’t risk your potential settlement by handling your claim independently. Contact Silva Injury Law today if you sustained injuries from a slip and fall in a grocery store. Schedule a consultation, and let us review your case. The sooner you meet with us, the sooner we can start protecting your rights.

PROMOTING HEALING THROUGH
COMPASSIONATE ADVOCACY
We believe that our duty goes beyond achieving large monetary awards for our clients. We strive first to be decent human beings who seek not to stir up fights, but to solve problems.
AS A PEACEMAKER, THE LAWYER HAS A SUPERIOR OPPORTUNITY OF BEING A GOOD MAN. THERE WILL STILL BE ENOUGH BUSINESS.
– Abraham Lincoln

HOW OUR FIRM CAN HELP YOU

If you are suffering due to a severe injury, contact our California slip & fall attorneys today. We can work to help you recover the compensation you need. Our attorney Michael Joe Silva has experience at every level of the litigation process and has conducted multiple jury and court trials.

Our highly-skilled legal team also handles other cases, such as: