If you slipped and fell while you were shopping at an At Home store, or any other home good store, you could be entitled to money for injuries and for pain and suffering. Most people don’t think about getting injured while they are shopping, but slip and fall injuries affect millions of people every year. Head injuries, back injuries, broken bones, and other injuries can mean time off of work and even permanent disabilities.
If you’re injured at an At Home store, or any other major retailer, you need to know your rights and what financial compensation you could be entitled to as a result of the retailer’s negligence. In this guide you’ll learn how to proceed if you have a slip and fall injury at an At Home store, or any home good stores.
A Store’s Responsibility for Safety
At Home, and other retailers, have a legal obligation to make sure that anyone who shops in their stores is safe. That means that store has an obligation to do things like make sure there is no water on the floor, make sure there aren’t electrical wires hanging from the ceiling, and making sure that a reasonable amount of care it taken to assure the property is safe for people to visit.
But, At Home stores, or any other retailer, can sometimes have situations where negligence happens. For example, if the weather is bad and employees haven’t had a chance to shovel the entryway to the store because they have been busy assisting customer and someone slips and falls that’s negligence. Whenever At Home, or other home good store, is negligent and someone has a slip and fall accident the victim of the accident is entitled to compensation for their injury and their medical bills. The store’s negligence makes them at fault for the accident.
Every year slip and fall injuries result in more than 1 million visits to the emergency room. And it’s very common for people to miss a month or more of work after a slip and fall injury. At Home, Nordstroms, and other large retailers are responsible for paying for the medical costs and lost wages for any shoppers injured in their stores.
Importance of Personal Injury Claims
Personal injury claims allow people who have been injured by falls in an At Home store, or other large retail store, to recover the cost of any medical care that they need for their injuries including costs like:
- Deductible or copays
- Physical therapy
- Specialist visits
- X rays and images
- Over the counter medical products
- Medical equipment
- Rehab
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
Those costs can add up quickly, and the victim of the fall should never have to be out money for an injury that wasn’t their fault.
It’s strongly recommended that anyone who has a slip and fall incident at a large store work with a personal injury attorney. A personal injury attorney can help guide victims of falls through the claim process and help them get all of the money that they’re due.
Potential Hazards in an A Furniture Store
There are many potential hazards that could cause shoppers injury in at At Home store, or in any furniture or home good store. The most common dangers that shoppers encounter in an At Home store, or any furniture store, are:
- Wet floors
- Slippery floors
- Uneven flooring
- Furniture that isn’t put together correctly and breaks
- Broken chairs
- Glass breakage from lamps or vases
- Rugs that cause tripping
- Shelves collapsing
- Items placed in hazardous areas
- Inadequate lighting
At Home, and all furniture stores, have a legal duty of care. That means they legally must do whatever they can to maintain the safety of the property. That includes things like not leaving mop buckets where people can fall over them, marking off areas where the floor is wet or slippery, putting out mats during wet weather, and making sure that items aren’t placed where they can fall over or break. At Home, and all retailers, have a legal obligation to maintain a safe environment where people can visit the property and shop without risk of injury.
What to Do If You Slip and Fall in A Store?
If you slip and fall in an At Home store, or any other retail store, the first thing that you need to do is get medical attention. Always ask for medical attention, even if you don’t think that you’re seriously injured. You never know what kind of injury you might have. It’s quite common for head or back injuries to get worse over time.
You also need to get medical attention to establish a time line of your injury and document that you were injured at an At Home store or other retailer. Always ask for medical attention.
After you have asked for emergency services to be called get as much evidence of what happened as you can. Take photos and videos of the area where you fell, and document the cause of the fall. For example, if you fell because the floor was wet take a photo and videos of the liquid on the floor. Include the area around the fall so that you have video showing the area wasn’t clearly marked or secured. You may also want to ask witnesses to make a video statement.
Then make sure that you alert the manager or supervisor of the store. They will need to fill out an incident report. Make sure that you are given a copy of that incident report. The incident report will be the official record of what happened so be as specific as you can be when you are explaining what happened.
Follow-Up Actions
After the initial incident make sure that you follow up with any additional medical care or physical therapy that your doctor recommends. Keep copies of receipts for anything that you pay for out of pocket related to your injury. You should also gather up all of your medical bills, receipts, and other medical documentation. If you missed work because of the injury print out copies of your pay stubs and your schedule showing your pay and how many days you were forced to be absent. You will need that information to file a personal injury claim.
It's important to talk with a personal injury lawyer before you file a claim. A personal injury attorney can help you go through all of your documentation, go over the timeline of events, and help you figure out what a fair settlement would be.
How to Prove an Injury Claim
In order to be compensated for your medical costs and pain and suffering you must prove that At Home, or whatever store you were shopping in, was negligent and their negligence caused your injury. Your photos and videos will be essential in proving that the store knew of the hazardous conditions and need nothing about them. A reputable personal injury attorney can help you assemble evidence that will prove the store was negligent and can negotiate a settlement amount for you.
Conclusion
A slip and fall injury can cause serious, sometime permanent injuries. In order to protect yourself and your ability to work you should speak with a qualified personal injury attorney about the particulars of what happened to you. Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form to get connected with an independent personal injury attorney who may be able to help you with a personal injury claim against At Home, or any other retailer.
*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 At Home, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
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