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Kidneigh, Kaufman & Crichton, P.C. is dedicated to helping you protect your rights in your personal injury case.
With over 30 years of experience, and over $100 Million recovered, we have a record of winning cases for our clients. We will fight the insurance company to ensure that you receive the damages you deserve.
If you or someone you love has suffered because of the negligence of another, call us at (303) 393-6666, or fill out the form to receive a free case evaluation. Someone from our office will contact you within 24 hours to start helping you with your case.
Grocery Store Liability
If there’s one place most adults find themselves in the most often where they’re at the most risk of injury, it could be the grocery store. From food-borne illnesses, slips and falls to parking lot accidents, the neighborhood grocery store can be a dangerous place.
What Can Happen in a Grocery Store?
The most common injuries are slip and falls due to spilled or dropped food. However, shopping carts can cause injury to both children[1] and adults, and accidents can happen in parking lots. The more crowded or busy a grocery store, the more likely an injury can occur.
For example, if a customer spills oil on the floor and the store doesn’t clean up the milk right way or clean it properly, someone can slip and hurt themselves. An improperly set display may fall on someone when they go to take an item from it. A child may fall out of grocery cart that’s broken and easily tips over. A blind spot in a grocery store parking lot may lead to a collision. A free sample of chicken salad made in the deli may have been contaminated and made customers sick.
How Are Grocery Stores Liable If I’m Hurt in One?
A grocery store first has a duty to keep the premises free of hazards. While it may not be possible to keep the place 100% safe all the time, grocery stores have a duty to clean or fix any hazards soon after discovering them. For example, if a jar of spaghetti sauce is dropped on the floor, the store has a duty to have it cleaned as soon as possible so customers don’t slip on the spill. Grocery stores also have a duty to avoid hazards, such as broken shelves or displays that will fall. They also have a duty to keep patrons safe from each other, such as on Black Friday or on other very crowded days.
What If I’m Injured in a Grocery Store?
Sometimes, it can be difficult to tell when a grocery starts to have a duty to protect customers. For example, if a customer slips on some grapes that were dropped on the floor, it makes a difference whether they were just dropped (and the grocery store didn’t know about the mess), or if they’d been there a while.
If you’re hurt in a grocery store, you’ll have to fill out an accident report at the store. Do this, but don’t offer any more information than necessary. Take pictures if you can of whatever caused your injury. Most importantly, get medical attention as soon after the injury as you can.
Next, speak to a personal injury lawyer. It’s likely that the grocery store will have an insurance adjuster and/or lawyer attempt to contact you to find out more about the accident. Their job is to avoid compensating you. However, if your injury was caused by the grocery store’s negligence, you may be able to recover damages and compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
If you or someone you love has been hurt in a grocery store, call one of our personal injury attorneys 303-393-6666. You may be able to recover damages to cover medical expenses and other losses.
[1] Richard Wilhelm. Uneventful Shopping Trips. https://www.astm.org/ SNEWS/MARCH_2007/spotlight_mar07.html. (Mar 2007).
