You don’t go shopping in your local Shoprite store, or any other supermarket, expecting to end up on a stretcher or hobbling back to your car, but it can easily happen if you slip and fall on something slippery that shouldn’t have been there. These sorts of unexpected injuries can be very costly. You could end up paying thousands of dollars for medical treatment and even lose your job if you cannot return quickly because of your injury.
You may be able to file a claim against the supermarket, but you would have to prove that the injury was the fault of the supermarket management or employees. It could be shown that the supermarket was at fault if negligence on their part was responsible for the accident.
How to the Grocery Store’s Negligence Caused a Slip and Fall
Shoprite, or any other supermarket, may be at fault if they failed to maintain a safe environment for their customers and this negligence was a direct cause of your injury.
In practice, it means that you need to show that:
- a hazard existed;
- the hazard resulted in you slipping and falling and injuring yourself;
- there had been no timely attempt to remove the hazard, clean it up, partition it off so that it is inaccessible to customers, or erect a clear warning sign nearby.
The most difficult part of this is proving that the supermarket employees were too slow to do anything about the hazard or simply ignored it. If the hazard had been there for at least half an hour, then that would probably be good enough grounds for showing that the supermarket was at fault. If something had spilled a few minutes before you slipped on it, then it may be unreasonable to expect the management to know that the hazard existed.
Evidence to Show a Slip and Fall was a Chain Supermarket’s Fault
The more evidence you have to show that your injury was Shoprite, or any other grocery store’s fault, the better. These are the most common kinds of evidence that you can use to prove fault:
- statements from any other customers who saw the accident happen and can confirm that the hazard had been there too long or that there was no warning present;
- photos that you could take yourself, showing where the hazard was, what you slipped over on and your injury(ies). You don’t need a camera for this as most cell phones have a camera app that is adequate for taking photos;
- most large supermarkets have security cameras everywhere in strategic places. There is a good chance that your accident had been filmed inadvertently. If your lawyer can get access to the video footage this could be excellent evidence of the cause of the accident.
Get Help Proving Fault
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*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 Shoprite, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
