Retail Store Liability for Customer Slip & Falls in New York City

When you go to a store, you generally expect the trip will be uneventful and you'll return home with the items you need. However, there are sometimes conditions in retail stores that can lead to slip and fall accidents. These kinds of incidents can result in severe injury to a customer, extensive medical treatment, and time lost from work. If a store's negligence or carelessness caused your slip and fall, you may recover compensation for the damages you incurred as a result of the accident.

Causes of Retail Store Slip and Falls
Many conditions can lead to slip and fall accidents in retail stores. Coffee, soda, or food spilled by other customers, rain or snow tracked inside, leaks from liquid products, floor wax or cleaning solution, torn carpets, debris, or poor lighting can all be factors. Slip and falls commonly occur in:

• Clothing stores
• Supermarkets and grocery stores
• Home improvement and hardware stores
• Department stores
• Athletic stores
• Automotive supply shops

Stores can be responsible for slip and fall accidents anywhere on the premises including the parking lot, retail floor, escalators, restrooms, vestibule, and the check-out area.

Demonstrating Negligence in a Retail Store Slip & Fall
Retail stores must ensure that the premises are maintained in a safe condition for all customers. If an owner, manager, or employee created the dangerous condition that caused your injuries, they may have been negligent if they failed to remedy or warn about the condition. A store may also be liable if you suffered injuries resulting from a hazard that a store employee, manager, or owner knew about but didn't remedy in a reasonable amount of time. For example, if an employee passed by a dangerous spill in an aisle but didn't clean it or place a warning sign before moving on to another task and you slipped on it sometime later, the store may be held liable for negligence.

Evidence in a Retail Store Slip & Fall Accident
Certain types of evidence can help demonstrate negligence in a personal injury action for retail store slip and falls. The store's logbooks, security camera footage, photos, witness statements, any accident reports, and your medical records are all critical pieces of evidence a court will consider in a premises liability case.

Most important in a slip and fall action are your medical records which show the extent of your injuries, document your treatment, and can help value your case.

Compensable Damages for Retail Store Slip & Fall Injuries
If you suffered injuries in a retail store slip and fall accident, it may be held liable for your economic and non-economic damages. Retail store slip and fall accidents can result in severe and debilitating injuries including soft tissue injuries, nerve damage, broken bones, fractures, paralysis, traumatic brain injury, or other physical and emotional injuries.

Medical treatment for retail store slip and fall injuries can be costly and include emergency care, surgeries, office visits, physical therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, diagnostic testing, medication, use of durable medical equipment, and any other treatment your doctor might recommend.

Your unreimbursed medical expenses, lost earnings, and out-of-pocket costs for related medical treatment may be recovered in a personal injury action. A court may also award a slip and fall victim for non-economic damages including pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and punitive damages, in some cases.

Contact an Experienced New York City Retail Store Accident Attorney
If you suffered injuries in a slip and fall due to retail store negligence, you should contact a personal injury attorney who can advise you of your legal remedies. An experienced personal injury attorney who handles slip and fall cases will know how to preserve the evidence you need to prevail in your case and can protect your legal rights. They can also help you recover the compensation you deserve for your injuries, medical expenses, and time lost from work.

The Popick Law Firm has thirty years of experience obtaining compensation for victims of retail store slip and fall accidents. Located in Fresh Meadows, NY, The Popick Law Firm handles personal injury and premises liability cases throughout New York City in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties. Contact the Popick Law Firm today for a consultation.