Stores like Rite Aid, or other large drugstores, have thousands of products, many of which are sold in small amounts in bottles and packets on shelves. These stores are like many other large chain supermarkets as customers walk around finding what they want then taking them off the shelves.
Often, things fall off the shelves creating a slip and fall hazard. It is the duty of the store’s employees to clear away any hazards that they become aware of as quickly as possible.
If you slip and fall over and injure yourself in one of these stores, you may believe that it was the store’s fault. If store staff were aware of any particular hazard but took too long to do anything about it, or failed to remove the hazard, then this may be regarded as negligence. You may then have grounds for pursuing compensation for the injuries you have suffered as long, as you have proof that the store was at fault.
How to Show Drugstore Negligence Caused a Slip and Fall Injury
Accidents may happen at any time in a large, busy drugstore. Most slip and fall accidents happen because of the existence of something slippery on the floor. If this does occur in a drugstore, it doesn’t mean that the employees or managers were negligent unless the mess on the floor had been reported to the store and nothing had been done to clean it up or at least erect a warning sign or barrier to prevent accidents.
There is a certain amount of gray area here as far as negligence is concerned. If someone slipped over, say five minutes after something fell off a shelf, it would probably be considered unreasonable to expect the mess to be cleaned up in that time frame.
However, if the mess had been present for an hour or more and customers had already reported it to the store more than once, yet nothing had been done about it, then this would be better grounds for showing that the store had been negligent in its duty to maintain safe conditions for shoppers.
Evidence to Show a Slip and Fall was a Drugstore’s Fault
You need more than just a verbal account of how your injury occurred. Proof that fault lay with the store might include any or all of the following.
- Photos taken, perhaps with your cell phone, of the mess on the floor and your injury, showing the location and time of the accident;
- Other customers who saw exactly what happened are your best source of evidence, especially if they had been in the store for some time and had noticed the hazard some time before. It is the time factor that is important in proving fault;
- There may have been a security camera recording close by. if you are lucky, this may have recorded the hazard being created and the time it happened, as well as the actual accident. Again, the time difference will be vital in proving negligence.
Get Help Proving Fault
You are welcome to make use of a free case evaluation to get in touch with a PI lawyer who can help prove Rite Aid, or another large drugstore, was at fault for your slip and fall injury.
Additional Resources
Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Rite Aid, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
