If you watched a surveillance video of the activity inside a convenience store on a typical morning at normal speed, it would look like the someone has sped up the tape. Hundreds of customers enter and leave the store at a rapid pace. It almost looks like one of the classic black and white videos shot without sound.
A flurry of activity at a convenience store creates the perfect storm for a slip and fall incident.
Customers bumping into each other and carelessness on the part of a time starved customer lead to many in store accidents. However, the negligence of employees and/or the owner of a convenience store contributes to most personal injury events like a slip and fall.
Finding Fault for a Slip and Fall
Where should we look first for the cause of many convenience store slip and fall incidents? Start with the front doors where customers track in debris and leave wet shoe prints formed by a recent rain.
Although customer first convenience stores place mats by the front doors, the mats often move about to leave exposed sections of a wet floor. Unless an employee places a “Wet Floor” sign by the front door, unsuspecting customers are prime targets for a slip and fall incident at a store like Cumberland Farms.
Speaking of “Wet Floor” signs: Just because an employee has placed a “Wet Floor” sign by a danger zone does not absolve the store of negligence in a slip and fall incident.
The employee might have put the sign in the wrong area and/or failed to clean up the mess in a timely manner. Other ways you can find fault with a convenience store for causing a slip and fall include poorly lit areas of the store and uneven flooring that caused customers to trip and fall.
Evidence to Back Up Your Negligence Claim
Assigning fault to a convenience store for a slip and fall is only the first step in the litigation process. You also have to submit convincing evidence that brings the company to the negotiating table to pay for the medical costs associated with your personal injuries.
Photographs of the area where you fell is a good start for collecting evidence. Pay special attention to any liquid spilled on the floor, as well as the absence of any “Wet Floor” signs.
Corroborating accounts delivered by witnesses provide your personal injury lawyer with the evidence he or she needs to move forward with your case.
Witnesses should be able to confirm the time of the slip and fall incident, as well as the condition of the store at the time of the slip and fall. Medical records that verify treatment help you recover the costs of medical bills, as well as give your financial support for participating in a rehabilitation program.
A Personal Injury Lawyer is not an Option
Working with a state licensed personal injury attorney should be a must do on your to do list. Not only does a personal injury lawyer possess effective negotiating skills, he or she also deals with the legal team hired by the convenience store, as well handle the depositions that allow witnesses to tell their version of events.
Your lawyer helps you file court documents on time and stay on top of breaking events that change the course of a civil lawsuit.
Schedule an initial consultation today with an experienced personal injury lawyer to receive a free case evaluation.
