Who Is Responsible for a Slip and Fall in a Los Angeles Grocery Store?

There is no shortage of grocery stores in Los Angeles County. No matter where you go, there is likely a Ralph’s, Erewhon’s, Trader Joe’s, or a Vons ready to provide you with the goods and products you and your family need. However, what happens when these stores do not ensure their facility is safe and you are harmed as a result of their negligent actions?

If you or a loved one sustained injuries in a slip and fall accident in a Los Angeles grocery store, you likely have countless questions about this incident, including who you can hold responsible for your harm, the legal options you have and the actions you should take next. That is why we will go over all these issues and provide you with the clarification you both want and need regarding a slip and fall accident in a Los Angeles grocery store.

Who Is Responsible After a Slip and Fall Accident in a Los Angeles Grocery Store?

As a customer at a grocery store, you should not have to worry about injuring yourself because of the negligent actions of the facility. Rather, these stores, like other businesses, owe a duty to their customers to make sure they are able to shop in a safe environment. If they do not provide these types of conditions, they can be held liable for the resulting harm and losses that occur.

Proving Fault After a Slip and Fall in a Los Angeles Grocery Store

If you slipped and fell in a grocery store and believe you are owed compensation for the harm you endured, you first have to establish that the grocery store is responsible for the accident and your injuries.

To establish this responsibility, you would have to show the grocery store was negligent, which includes proving the following elements:

• The grocery store owed you a duty of care.
• The grocery store failed to provide this duty of care.
• This breach of duty resulted in your slip and fall accident and the resulting injuries.
• You sustained significant monetary damages because of your injuries and losses.

While proving each of these elements may seem like a complicated undertaking, just know you will not have to handle it on your own. Instead, when you work with a skilled and experienced Los Angeles slip and fall attorney, these legal professionals can deal with this legal process for you by thoroughly investigating the incident, figuring out what happened, and securing the evidence required to prove each of these elements.

Common Causes Behind a Slip and Fall Accident in a Los Angeles Grocery Store

While a slip and fall can occur for many reasons, these accidents are frequently known to result from:

• A wet spot in the aisle due to a spill
• Objects in the aisles, such as a food item that fell off the shelf
  Entrances or exits that are wet because of rainy conditions
• Wet floors which were just mopped, without signs placed to let customers know
• Inadequate lighting
• Tripping hazards that are not put away properly, such as wires or cords
• Poorly maintained parking lots and sidewalks near the grocery store
• Frayed, worn or uneven carpet or mats

Typical Injuries That Can Result From a Slip and Fall

Although most slip and fall accidents usually result in minor injuries, such as bumps and bruises, these accidents can also result in devastating injuries, including the following:

• Head and brain trauma
• Fractures
• Knee injuries
• Hand and wrist injuries
• Back injuries
• Neck injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Spinal cord trauma
• Deep lacerations

What To Do After a Los Angeles Slip and Fall Grocery Accident

Following a slip and fall accident, you likely are not thinking about a potential legal claim and what you should do to have the best chance of securing the money you need. However, it is important to understand that your actions after these accidents can help you go after the financial damages you deserve and ensure you get the medical treatment you need.

For these reasons, you should consider the following steps after a slip and fall accident in a Los Angeles grocery store:

Get Emergency Help

If the accident results in a severe injury, make sure you contact the authorities right away. If you cannot do this yourself, have someone around you call 911 immediately. This is the fastest way to ensure you get the medical care you require and have the police come to the scene and document the situation in a police report, which can be valuable if you file a legal claim after the incident.

Talk to the Manager of the Grocery Store

If you do not require emergency care, make sure you notify the grocery store manager about your slip and fall incident as soon as possible and create a report of what happened. Do not forget to obtain a copy of this report for your records before you leave.

Get Checked Out by a Health Care Professional

Even if the harm you sustained after the incident appears minor, you should still get any injuries checked out by a doctor. In some cases, you may not even realize you suffered any injuries because you may not have symptoms yet. However, you may have still endured a severe injury such as a head injury.

Plus, when you get looked over, doctors can prepare a medical report explaining the extent of your injuries and showing a link between the harm you suffered and the slip and fall accident. This can be beneficial if the other side or the insurance company tries to claim the two are unrelated.

Check for Evidence Following the Grocery Store Slip and Fall

If your injuries allow for it, make sure you secure as much evidence as you can from the scene, including photos of the hazard that caused your fall, the trauma you can see, and other details about the incident, such as the place the accident occurred and the time.

Additionally, check if anyone else saw you slip and fall and get their contact details. These individuals can provide you and your attorney with further information about the incident that can help your claim, as well as offer testimony that can corroborate what happened.

Yet, if you cannot gather this evidence or obtain all of it, do not worry. Once you hire an experienced slip and fall attorney in Los Angeles, these legal professionals can help you gather the evidence you could not get, prepare the strongest legal case on your behalf and go after the justice you deserve.

Do Not Apologize or Admit Fault for What Happened

Do not claim fault for the incident, apologize for anything that happened, or make any concrete statements about what you think occurred. These types of comments can be used by the insurance company or the other side to hurt your case and impact the amount of money you can receive.

Watch What You Say to the Insurance Company

While it may seem like a good idea to rely on the insurance company after a slip and fall accident, in reality, the insurance company will try to do everything to avoid helping you. It is important to understand that these companies profit when they pay you less for your claim or deny it altogether.

That is why, following an accident, such as a slip and fall in a Los Angeles grocery store, these insurance adjusters will try anything to get you to say something that can hurt your case or find any evidence they can to use against you.

For these reasons, after your accident, before you speak to an insurance company or their representative, consider speaking to an experienced Los Angeles slip and fall attorney who can take on these discussions for you and make sure you do not say or do something that can end up hurting your legal claim.

Provide the Evidence and Documents You Have to Your Lawyer

Once you meet with a slip and fall attorney, you will want to provide the documents and evidence you have to them, including copies of all the reports you secured, such as the medical and police reports, pictures and videos you obtained of the accident, witness details, bills you endured from the accident, and any communication you had with the grocery store manager or insurance company representatives. These documents can assist your attorney in going after the money you need.

Slip and Fall Statistics You Need To Know About

Although slip and fall accidents are quite common, what many people may not realize is these falls do not always end with a small scratch or bruise. In some instances, these falls can be quite serious and costly.

In fact, the National Floor Safety Institute indicates that:

• Around eight million emergency room visits result from slip and fall accidents.
• Approximately 50% of all accident deaths in the house are the result of a slip and fall.
• More women are involved in slip and fall accidents than men.
• Fractures are typically the most severe injury when it comes to a slip and fall and occur in 5% of all falls.
• Each year, one out of every three people over the age of 65 years old will fall, and half of them are repeat fallers.
• Approximately 1.8 million individuals over the age of 65 were treated in the emergency room for a slip and fall accident.
• A fall is the most common cause of a brain injury.

In addition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30.6% of older individuals (aged 65 years and older) in California reported falling each year, which is higher than the national average of 28%. These records also indicate that the state endured 40 deaths per 100,000 individuals every year due to these falls.

Average Settlement Amounts Following a Slip and Fall Accident

While the average settlement amount for a slip and fall accident ranges between $10,000 and $50,000, these amounts will often depend on the circumstances of the accident, as well as several other factors, including the following:

• The extent of your injuries
• Whether you sustained permanent disability due to the slip and fall accident
• The ability to work following the slip and fall
• The severity of your pain and suffering
• The lost wages you suffered from not being able to work
• The medical costs you endured because of the accident
• The estimated future medical expenses you will likely have to handle
• Your ability to take part in daily activities you used to do in the past
• The willingness of the other side to get you the money you need

As a result, it is usually challenging to determine precisely the slip and fall grocery store settlement you can obtain following this devastating incident. That is why following this tragic accident, consider contacting a knowledgeable slip and fall accident attorney who can review these factors, go over your case with you in detail, and determine the maximum amount of compensation they can pursue on your behalf.

Contact a Skilled Slip and Fall Accident Attorney and Get Help Going After the Justice You Want

If you or a family member suffered harm in a slip and fall accident in a grocery store in Los Angeles due to another person’s wrongful actions, it is time to act and go after the justice and financial recovery you are entitled to.

Thankfully, you will not have to take on this fight alone. Rather, with an experienced slip and fall attorney on your side, you can focus on yourself and your healing while these lawyers go after the monetary damages you deserve.

Slip and fall attorneys in Los Angeles can review your slip and fall accident in detail, determine who was at fault and what happened, and obtain the evidence required to establish fault and damages. However, more importantly, these legal professionals can take on the insurance company for you and go after the financial recovery you need.

Sources:
Personal Injury Settlement Amounts Examples (2022 Guide)
What Should You Do If You Slip/ Trip and Fall?