Grocery Store Slip and Fall

Many people regularly visit grocery stores without considering that they may suffer harm while shopping. Grocery store slip and fall accidents are common, however, and often lead to significant injuries. Most falls are preventable, though, and only occur because store owners fail to ensure the safety of their customers. If you were hurt in a fall in a grocery store, you might be owed compensation, and it is in your best interest to consult an attorney regarding your potential claims. At Cardoso Law, PLLC, our assertive Florida attorneys are well-versed in what it takes to hold store owners accountable for damages sustained on their premises, and if you hire us, we will work tirelessly to help you pursue a favorable outcome. Our office is located in Pensacola, and we regularly represent people in slip and fall cases in cities throughout Florida.

Grocery stores often sell produce and prepared foods in self-service sections, and it is not uncommon for food or debris to fall on the floor in such areas, creating slippery conditions. Additionally, liquid from leaky equipment, spills, or inclement weather may pool on the floor, making it slick. If stores do not promptly clean up spills or debris, customers that encounter such conditions may lose their footing and slip and fall. Floors that were recently mopped or cleaned may be slippery as well, and if grocery stores do not post adequate warnings notifying customers of the potentially hazardous conditions, shoppers may fall and sustain injuries.

People that unexpectedly encounter foreign substances on the floor often slip, their feet go out from under them, and they fall. The force of the impact can cause various injuries, including fractures, joint or muscle strain or sprain, and concussions. When falls happen in grocery stores, it is often due to the store owner’s failure to maintain its premises in a safe condition. As such, the store owner may be deemed liable for harm caused by its carelessness.

In most instances, people seeking damages in civil lawsuits arising out of grocery store slip and fall accidents will allege the store owner was negligent. In Florida, a plaintiff asserting a negligence claim against a defendant must show that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care and that the defendant breached the duty. The plaintiff also has to prove that the defendant’s breach proximately caused the plaintiff to suffer actual harm. In other words, that the fall and subsequent injuries would not have occurred absent the breach.

In premises liability cases, defendant business owners generally have a duty to prevent people who are legally on their property from suffering foreseeable harm. This means, in part, they must remove any dangerous conditions and warn lawful entrants of any known dangers they may encounter on the property. If a transient substance caused a fall, Florida law also requires the plaintiff to prove that the defendant either knew or should have known of the presence of the substance. A plaintiff may establish a defendant had constructive knowledge of a temporary hazard by producing evidence that the hazard regularly arose at the defendant’s store, and therefore was foreseeable, or that it was present for so long before the fall that a person exercising reasonable care would have learned of it.

Grocery store owners are expected to offer their customers a safe shopping environment, and when they do not, it can lead to harmful incidents. If you suffered injuries in a grocery store slip and fall accident, you have the right to seek compensation, and you should meet with an attorney as soon as possible. The seasoned Florida lawyers of Cardoso Law, PLLC, can advise you of your potential claims and help you seek the full amount of damages recoverable under the law. We have an office in Pensacola, and we frequently handle claims arising out of slip and falls in Pensacola, Ferry Pass, Brent, Cantonment, Bellview, Century, Milton, Navarre, Gulf Breeze, West Pensacola, Jay, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, and Niceville. We also represent people in premises liability cases in cities throughout Florida, including many in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa Counties. You can contact us through the form online or at (850) 466-2073 to set up a meeting.