Dropping by your local pizza chain restaurant to pick up a quick lunch or dinner can seem like a great idea. However, what would you do if your $15 pizza caused you to amass thousands of dollars in medical bills because you slipped and fell inside of the store? A slip and fall could cause permanent injury and cause a lifetime of unexpected medical bills.
What Is Personal Injury? Can I be Eligible for a Claim?
Although any potential claim should be evaluated by a qualified attorney, most often slip and fall scenarios fall into an area of law known as personal injury. Personal injury is part of our civil laws. It is based on a concept called negligence. It means that someone was hurt because another party did or didn’t do something that springs from a legal duty. There are four elements.
- There is a duty owed to customers by any eatery. In the context of a slip and fall, there is a duty by the employees and owner of the store to keep the floor reasonably safe and dry. The duty could take the form of a sign telling customers about a wet floor or mopping up a spill or a slippery spot.
- The duty must be breached by the restaurant. If an employee knew the floor was wet or otherwise slippery, but did not put out a sign or didn’t attempt to clean it up, that may constitute a breach of the duty. If you slip and fall at a pizza place, it is important that you document the scene by taking pictures. This can help a personal injury attorney decide if you have a claim.
- There must be an actual injury. An actual injury can be physical, emotional, or physical. When we are dealing with a slip and fall, it is often a physical injury that then causes us a financial injury because of the expenses associated with medical care. A wet or slippery floor that isn’t properly handled is not enough. Someone must receive an actual injury of some sort otherwise there is no basis on which to compensate the victim.
- There must be causation. In simple words, the injury that the person says exists must have been caused by the slip and fall that occured in the store. If you went into the restaurant with a broken leg, you couldn’t sue them for breaking your leg if you slipped and fell. Your leg was broken prior to visiting the establishment. Causation can be measured using the "but-for" test. But for slipping and falling at the restaurant, the victim wouldn’t have broken her tailbone.
Get Legal Help With your Personal Injury Claim Immediately
If you slipped and fell at a restaurant, get legal help immediately. Slip and fall cases may seem simple, but they can be complicated from a legal standpoint. Don’t wait. Call a personal injury attorney right away to discuss your claim.
*The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Domino's, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
