As one of the most common types of personal injury insurance claims, a slip and fall accident can cause injuries as mild as a slight bruise to a severe head wound that can trigger constant seizures. Discount stores such as Family Dollar present several dangers that can lead to a customer slipping and falling on the floor inside as well as on the ground outside.
If you are a victim of a Family Dollar slip and fall, or any discount store for that matter, you might have a strong enough case to file a personal injury claim in Washington.
What Are Washington Slip and Fall Laws?
A personal injury claim filed in Washington for a slip and fall at Family Dollar, or any discount store, is considered a premises liability case. In Washington, retailers such as discount stores assume a duty of care to protect customers from harm when they enter their properties. A discount store must take steps to prevent accidents from the moment customers enter the parking lot to the moment the same customers leave the property. As such, in order to get a Washington personal injury claim approved for compensation in Washington, a premises liability attorney must prove a discount store breached the duty of care doctrine.
Like many states, Washington follows the comparative doctrine principle of assigning fault to a personal injury incident. This means that more than one party can assume fault for causing the slip and fall incident.
For example, let’s assume a customer slipped and fell at the entrance of a discount store. The store manager placed a “Wet Floor” sign over the wet area of the floor, but the customer walked on the slick spot despite the warning. A judge hearing the Washington slip and fall case has the legal power to assign part of the blame to the customer for ignoring the “Wet Floor” sign.
How Long Do I Have to File a Slip and Fall Claim Against a Discount Store in Washington?
The statute of limitations for filing a Washington personal injury claim refers to the amount of time you have to submit the proper paperwork to initiate a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Every state has established a deadline for the filing of a personal injury lawsuit, which also covers every type of premises liability case.
The state of Washington has set the deadline for filing a slip and fall lawsuit at three years, with the clock starting to tick for the lawsuit on the date of which the personal injury incident happened.
If you fail to meet this 3-year deadline for filing a Washington personal injury claim, you can expect the court clerk that is processing your lawsuit to dismiss it.
What Do I Need To Prove in My Claim Against a Discount Store in Washington?
Proving negligence for a Washington slip and fall case requires an attorney to submit persuasive physical evidence. For a discount store slip and fall, footage recovered from a store’s security system might indicate which party should assume most of the blame for causing the incident.
Witness accounts of the slip and fall incident provide legal support for the physical evidence, as well as a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Copies of medical bills validate the value of the compensation sought by your slip and fall personal injury lawyer.
Complete the Free Case Evaluation form on this page to get connected with an independent, participating personal injury attorney who subscribes to our website today. By doing so, you can give yourself a better chance of determining the best course of legal action for your claim.
*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 Family Dollar or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
