Supermarket Accidents & Injuries In Florida

Supermarkets are an American way of life. Over time they have grown from small local specialty stores into large chains where you can get one stop shopping for all of your grocery and household needs. However, with the increase in store size and customer volume has brought an equal increase in potential accident dangers. Unfortunately, thousands of customers are injured in grocery store accidents every year. From spilled water and oil to broken flooring and defective shelving, these unchecked hazards might be waiting for you on your next shopping trip. That is why it is important to know what to do after a supermarket accident and how a supermarket accident attorney near you can help. Call 561-221-7474 any time for a FREE consultation with our Boca Raton & Wellington Supermarket Accident Lawyer. We help victims injured at supermarkets and grocery stores in Boca Raton, Wellington and throughout the State of Florida.

Supermarket Dangers

• Trip & Falls: raised or sunken sidewalks, unsafe parking lots, broken flooring or ripped matting can cause trip and fall accidents.
• Slip & Falls: Tile floors that are wet and/or slick from water spills, mopping, leaking refrigeration units or broken grocery products that leave a slippery or oily surface can cause slip and fall accidents.
• Obstructions: Obstacles such as baskets, shopping carts, pallets or displays that obstruct aisles or other pathways intended for shoppers are a frequent cause of falls especially in elderly shoppers.
• Burns: Liquids or foods such as coffee or soups that are too hot and exceed heating guidelines can burn customers. Hot bars and other self-service counters for coffee, soups and prepared foods can also pose a threat of injury to customers.
• Falling Objects: Product that has been improperly shelved or too heavy for store displays can fall and injure customers.
• Improper Security: when the supermarket fails to provide a safe and secure shopping experience, whether inside or outside of the store, they may be liable under the theory of negligent security especially when the market is located in dangerous neighborhood with a high crime rate or the particular hazard was known and the store failed to make it safe.
• Food Poisoning
• Broken Equipment: Defective shopping carts can topple over and injure shoppers. Old, worn or broken shelving and displays with protruding sharp edges can lacerate customers resulting in serious injury.

Premises Liability

Whenever an accident occurs at a supermarket, inside or outside, the stores responsibility will be determined under the theory of premises liability. This area of negligence law places a legal obligation on the supermarket to exercise a duty of care to ensure the premises is well maintained and safe for shoppers.

The store, its managers and employees must warn customers of dangers it knew or should have known about. An injury caused by the store’s failure to fix a known problem (e.g., a refrigerator that regularly leaks) and/or identify an unknown hazard (e.g., oil on the floor from a broken container) that existed for an extensive period of time may present liability for related injuries.

Proof of the supermarket’s knowledge or notice of the dangerous condition prior to the accident is an essential element to establishing fault under a premises liability theory. Some of the ways we prove notice is with photographic evidence of the hazard. Surveillance footage from the store and witness or employee statements is another way we prove notice along with expert inspection of the premises or defective piece of equipment. Time is always of the essence after a supermarket accident. If you wait too long to seek the help you need, the evidence necessary may be gone forever. This is why it is incredibly important after a supermarket accident to immediately consult with our Boca Raton & Wellington Supermarket Accident Attorney.

What Should I Do After A Supermarket Accident?

The moments that follow a supermarket accident are often the most critical. Unfortunately, this is the same time when you are in pain and not thinking clearly due to the stress of the trauma. This is why we created a detailed checklist on what to do after a slip and fall accident. However, for ease of reference, a brief synopsis is listed below:

1. Report the Accident: Always report the accident to store management immediately. Prepare an incident report generally stating what happened and your injuries. Do not minimize your injuries or the pain you feel noting it will likely get worse after you leave the store. Make sure to take a picture of the report before returning it as the store will refuse to give you a copy. 
2. Take Pictures: Photograph everything including your physical injuries, your clothing and footwear and most importantly the injury causing condition. It is important to do this before the store cleans, moves or fixes whatever caused your accident. Do not leave the store without identifying what specifically caused your injury and photographing it.
3. Identify Witnesses: Get the names and contact information for anyone that witnessed your accident before they disappear or become unavailable.  
4. Seek Prompt Medical Attention: Immediate medical attention is important to ensure your health and wellbeing especially when your injuries may not be apparent like a broken bone such as a concussion. Timely medical care is also crucial to establishing your injury case. One of the most common arguments supermarkets make in defending accident cases is the victim failed to seek prompt medical attention, which leads to the related argument the injuries are not related to the fall but some pre-existing or intervening event. 
5. Warning: It is important to note, many of the most common grocery stores in Florida will seek to settle your accident claim before you get a lawyer or even know what your injuries are. They do this by having their in house risk team (e.g., Publix) or outside claims department (e.g., Sedgwick, Gallagher Bassett, ESIS) offer you gift cards or nominal amounts of money to sign a release discharging your claim. Do not accept anything from the supermarket or sign any paperwork including a release without first consulting a Supermarket Accident Lawyer Near You like David B. Datny at The Datny Law Firm.
6. Consult A Supermarket Accident Lawyer Near You: Once you hire an attorney, neither the supermarket nor their attorney can contact you directly. This will protect you from overreaching adjusters trying to force you into a minimal settlement without investigating the true value of your claim. It also prevents them from tricking you into giving statements you are not required to make or appearing for medical examinations with their doctors when they are not entitled to the same. These are all tactics supermarkets and their insurance companies use to gather evidence to deny, minimize or reduce the value of your claim. Best practice is to let your attorney handle the insurance companies while you focus on recovering from your injuries.