The most common accidents in a large department store like Walmart are slip, or trip and fall accidents. These accidents can cause nasty injuries. Many of these accidents are not the customers’ fault. They may be the fault of the store management or the store employees whose negligence has caused the slip or trip hazard to exist.
You may be able to claim compensation from Walmart, or any other store, if you can prove that it was the company’s or their employees’ fault. This usually involves showing that the store knew about a hazard and didn’t do anything about it.
The store’s insurers may challenge any personal injury claim filed against their corporate client. It can pay off to use a personal injury lawyer throughout.
How to Show That Department Store Negligence Caused a Slip and Fall
There is a logical sequence of events that can show that Walmart, or any other stores’ staff was negligent and that this negligence caused your accident and injury. You must be able to show that:
- There was a definite hazard or slip and fall danger, typically on the floor of the store, and that this caused the accident that led to you being injured.
- That the accident could have been avoided altogether if the store management had showed more attention to safety in their store.
- That the hazard was known about by Walmart management / employees, but
- They didn’t do anything about it or were too slow in trying to do anything about the hazard or warning customers that it existed.
Evidence to Show a Slip and Fall was a Department Store’s Fault
Find out if there was a security camera pointing in the direction of your accident. Like any other store, Walmart routinely uses these cameras in their stores. Coincidental recording footage may establish how long the hazard had been present and what happened to cause you to slip over.
Take photos if you can, or ask someone else to take photos (you can use your cell phone if it has a camera app on it) of the place where the accident took place. Record exactly what caused the accident and that there were no warning signs erected.
There are likely to be more than one eye witness who saw the accident happen. You may be able to find out if someone actually saw the hazard or danger being created. This can establish that the Walmart personnel had not bothered to do anything about the problem.
Get Help Proving Fault
You will need to be well prepared with convincing evidence if you are determined to show that a store is at fault and pay appropriate compensation. You may want to contact a personal injury lawyer before filing your claim.
Get your Free Case Evaluation to get in touch with a PI lawyer who can help prove the store was at fault for your slip and fall.
*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 Walmart or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
