Slip And Fall in Stores & Supermarkets in Philadelphia

Attorneys for People Injured in Retail Store Slip-and-Falls

In the event that retail businesses — stores, restaurants or florists — fail to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition, the store owners and others may be liable when injuries result from their negligence.

At the Philadelphia law firm of Philly Slip and Fall Guys, our attorneys have helped injured clients for over 30 years. Our lawyers assist clients who were injured as a result of slip and falls in retail stores. If you slipped and fell in a retail store, you may have the right to receive compensation for the pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and for out-of-pocket expenses associated with medical bills and lost wages.

Our firm has the knowledge and commitment to develop strong cases for clients. Our team is dedicated and compassionate. We can help.

If you were injured in a Philadelphia City store or restaurant, contact our law firm. We handle slip-and-fall cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe no attorney’s fee until we obtain a verdict or settlement on your behalf. Call us at (267) 435-2557 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

Understanding Your Rights After a Slip and Fall Accident

A slip and fall accident can happen in seconds, but the effects can last a lifetime. When you experience a fall accident in a retail store, you might feel confused about what to do next. Many accident victims don’t realize they have legal rights that protect them when a dangerous condition on someone else’s property causes them harm. The property owner has a responsibility to keep their premises safe for customers and visitors.

After a slip and fall accident occurs, your priority should be to seek medical attention right away. Even if you feel okay at first, some injuries don’t show symptoms immediately. Getting checked by a doctor creates a medical record of your injuries, which becomes important evidence for your slip and fall claim. The accident scene should be documented if possible, including taking photos of what caused your fall.

Common Causes of Grocery Store Slip and Fall Accidents

Grocery store slip and fall accidents happen more often than most people think. A wet floor from spilled liquids is one of the most common hazards. Sometimes a store manager or employees know about the spill but fail to clean it up quickly or warn customers about the danger. Slippery floors can also result from freshly mopped areas without proper warning signs.

Uneven surfaces, torn carpeting, or damaged flooring create trip hazards throughout retail locations. In the produce section, dropped fruits and vegetables make floors slick and dangerous. During winter months, melted snow and ice tracked inside can turn entrances into skating rinks. The store owner must address these issues promptly to prevent injuries.

A grocery store has many areas where fall accidents can occur. From the entrance to the checkout line, customers should be able to shop safely. When a dangerous condition exists and the property owner fails to fix it or post warnings, they can be held liable for injuries that result.

Examples of Retail Store Slip & Falls

We handle all types of premises liability cases, including trip-and-falls and slip-and-falls caused by:

• Packages and broken product jars on supermarket and bodega floors
• Lack of warning signs on slippery or wet floors
• No protocol for promptly cleaning up spills
• Changes in floor height not marked with warning tape or signs
• Failure to control or limit crowds during high-volume events
• Failure to clear ice and snow from parking lots and sidewalks
• Poor maintenance of elevator and escalators

Slip and fall victims in retail stores can suffer from back problems, broken bones, head injuries, brain injuries, severe lacerations and scarring, and spinal cord injuries. Victims of such incidents may be fully or partially disabled and unable to perform daily duties at their previous jobs. We are here to help clients obtain the compensation they need to live life as fully as possible.

Types of Injuries from Slip and Fall Incidents

Slip and fall injuries range from minor bruises to life-changing trauma. Head injuries are particularly serious because they can lead to head trauma and long-term cognitive problems. A hard fall can cause concussions or more severe injury to the brain. Spinal injuries and spinal cord injuries can result in partial or complete paralysis, changing your life forever.

Broken bones are common fall injuries, especially among older adults. Wrists, hips, and ankles often break when someone tries to catch themselves during a fall accident. These fractures require medical treatment, surgery, and months of recovery. The injuries sustained may prevent you from working or doing activities you enjoy.

Physical injuries aren’t the only concern after a slip and fall incident. Many people develop emotional distress and post traumatic stress disorder following a serious fall. The fear of falling again can affect your confidence and quality of life. You might also experience ongoing pain that limits your daily activities.

Soft tissue injuries like sprains, strains, and tears can be just as debilitating as broken bones. Back and neck injuries may not appear serious at first but can cause chronic pain. These fall injuries often require ongoing medical treatment and physical therapy.

What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident

When the accident occurred, your first step should be reporting it to the store manager or another employee. Ask them to fill out an incident report and get a copy for your records. This document proves that the incident occurred and starts creating a paper trail for your slip and fall case.

Get contact information from anyone who saw your fall. Witness statements can help prove that a dangerous condition existed and caused your injury. Take photos of the area where you fell, including any hazards that contributed to the fall accident. Document the lighting, any warning signs (or lack of them), and the specific condition that caused you to slip or trip.

Save all receipts and records related to your injury. Keep track of medical bills, prescription costs, and any other expenses. Document your lost wages if you miss work because of your injuries. These records help calculate the full value of your personal injury claim.

Don’t give a recorded statement to insurance companies without talking to a personal injury lawyer first. Insurance adjusters often try to get you to say things that can hurt your case later. They work for the insurance company, not for you, and their goal is to pay as little as possible.

How Property Owners Can Be Held Liable

Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe for visitors and customers. This means they must regularly inspect their property for hazards, fix problems promptly, and warn people about dangers they can’t immediately fix. When a store owner fails to meet these responsibilities and someone gets hurt, they can be held liable for the resulting damages.

To win a slip and fall case, you need to prove negligence. This means showing that the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition that caused your fall. If a grocery store employee sees a spill and ignores it, the store can be held responsible for any injuries that result. Even if no one saw the hazard, the store owner might still be liable if the condition existed long enough that they should have discovered it during routine inspections.

Pennsylvania law gives injured people the right to seek compensation when someone else’s carelessness causes them harm. However, there are time limits for filing a personal injury claim. Waiting too long can mean losing your right to recover damages, so it’s important to act quickly after your fall accident.

The Role of a Personal Injury Lawyer in Your Case

An experienced personal injury lawyer understands how to build strong cases for people hurt in slip and fall accidents. Your attorney will investigate how the accident occurred, gather evidence to support your claim, and deal with insurance companies on your behalf. A personal injury attorney knows the tactics that insurers use to avoid paying valid claims and can protect your rights throughout the process.

A slip and fall attorney will review medical records, interview witnesses, and may work with experts who can explain how the dangerous condition caused your injuries. Your lawyer handles all the legal paperwork and negotiates with the other side to seek maximum compensation for your damages. This includes money for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses.

Most personal injury law firms, including ours, work on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t pay any attorney fees unless we win your case. We cover the costs of investigating and building your case, so you can focus on recovering from your injuries without worrying about legal bills piling up.

Legal representation levels the playing field when you’re up against big corporations and their insurance companies. An experienced attorney knows how to value your fall claim properly, so you don’t settle for less than you deserve. We fight to get you fair compensation that covers all your current and future needs related to the accident.

Building a Strong Slip and Fall Case

Every slip and fall case is different, but they all require solid evidence to succeed. Your attorney will document everything about the accident and your injuries. This includes getting copies of any incident reports, surveillance video from the store, and maintenance records that show whether the property owner was keeping up with safety inspections.

Medical documentation forms the backbone of any personal injury case. Your treatment records show what injuries you suffered and how serious they are. Bills and invoices prove your medical expenses and other costs. If you need ongoing care, your lawyer may work with doctors to document your future medical needs.

Proving that a dangerous condition existed isn’t always simple. A fall accident case requires showing not just that you fell, but that the hazard was unreasonable and that the store owner should have addressed it. Your attorney might bring in safety experts who can testify about proper maintenance standards and how the store failed to meet them.

In some situations, multiple property owners or businesses might share responsibility for your fall accident. For example, if you fell in a leased space inside a shopping mall, both the store tenant and the mall owner might be liable. Your slip and fall attorney will identify all potentially responsible parties to give you the best chance at full recovery.

Types of Compensation Available in Slip and Fall Claims

When you file a personal injury claim after a slip and fall accident, you can seek compensation for many types of damages. Economic damages include medical bills, future medical treatment costs, and lost wages from time you couldn’t work. If your injuries prevent you from returning to your old job, you might also recover compensation for reduced earning capacity.

Non-economic damages cover things that don’t have a specific dollar amount but still represent real losses. Pain and suffering compensation acknowledges the physical discomfort you’ve endured. Emotional distress damages account for anxiety, depression, or fear that resulted from the accident and your injuries. Loss of enjoyment of life damages recognize that your injuries prevent you from participating in activities you once loved.

In rare cases where the property owner acted with extreme carelessness or intentional disregard for safety, you might also recover punitive damages. These are meant to punish particularly bad behavior and discourage others from acting the same way. However, most slip and fall claims focus on compensatory damages that make you whole after your injury.

An experienced personal injury lawyer knows how to calculate the true value of your fall case. Insurance companies often make quick, low settlement offers hoping you’ll accept before understanding the full extent of your damages. Your attorney makes sure you don’t settle for less than you need to cover all your accident-related expenses and losses.

Common Defenses in Slip and Fall Cases

Property owners and their insurance companies use various defenses to avoid paying slip and fall claims. They might argue that you were careless and not paying attention to where you were walking. They could claim that the dangerous condition was obvious and you should have seen it. Sometimes they’ll say the hazard didn’t exist long enough for them to discover and fix it.

Insurance companies often try to blame the injured party for causing or contributing to their own injuries. Pennsylvania law allows for comparative negligence, which means if you were partly at fault, your compensation gets reduced by your percentage of blame. However, you can still recover damages as long as you weren’t more than 50% responsible for the accident.

Defense lawyers might argue that your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim, or that they were caused by something other than the fall accident. This is why thorough medical documentation is so important. Your treatment records need to clearly connect your injuries to the slip and fall incident.

A personal injury attorney with experience in fall accident cases knows how to counter these defenses. We gather strong evidence that proves the property owner’s responsibility and the extent of your injuries. We don’t let insurance companies take advantage of accident victims who are already dealing with pain and financial stress.

Why Choose Our Philadelphia Law Firm

Our team has spent over 30 years helping people hurt in slip and fall accidents throughout Philadelphia. We understand personal injury law and know how to handle complex accident cases involving grocery stores, restaurants, and other retail businesses. When you work with our law firm, you get dedicated attorneys who treat you like family, not just another case number.

We offer a free consultation to discuss your situation and explain your legal options. During this meeting, we’ll review what happened, answer your questions, and let you know whether you have a valid claim. There’s no obligation and no cost for this initial conversation. We want you to make an informed decision about your case.

Our attorneys have successfully handled many types of personal injury cases, including medical malpractice, fall accident cases, and other premises liability claims. We know how to investigate fall accidents, document injuries, and negotiate with tough insurance companies. Our goal is always to secure maximum compensation for our clients.

We work on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t pay any attorney fees unless we win your case. This arrangement allows everyone to access quality legal representation, regardless of their financial situation. You shouldn’t have to worry about legal bills while you’re recovering from a severe injury.

FAQs: Slip and Falls in Stores and Supermarkets in Philadelphia

Why do slip and fall accidents commonly happen in Philadelphia stores and supermarkets?

Slip and fall accidents in Philadelphia stores and supermarkets often occur due to wet floors, spilled liquids, recently mopped areas without warning signs, dropped produce, leaking refrigeration units, or cluttered aisles. High foot traffic increases the risk that hazards will go unnoticed or unaddressed. Store owners and managers are expected to regularly inspect their premises and promptly clean or warn of dangerous conditions to keep shoppers safe.

Is a store automatically responsible if I slip and fall while shopping in Philadelphia?

A store is not automatically responsible for every slip and fall accident in Philadelphia, but it may be held liable if negligence can be shown. This typically means proving the store knew or should have known about the hazardous condition and failed to fix it or warn customers. Evidence such as surveillance footage, cleaning logs, and employee statements can play a key role in determining whether the store acted reasonably.

What should I do if I slip and fall in a supermarket in Philadelphia?

After a slip and fall in a Philadelphia supermarket, seek medical attention right away. Report the incident to store management and request an incident report. If possible, take photos or videos of the hazard and the surrounding area, including any missing warning signs. Gather contact information from witnesses and keep all medical records and receipts. Avoid giving detailed statements to insurance adjusters without legal guidance.

Can surveillance footage be used in a Philadelphia store slip and fall case?

Yes, surveillance footage can be critical evidence in a Philadelphia store slip and fall case. Video may show how long a spill or hazard existed, whether employees inspected the area, and how the fall occurred. Many stores automatically overwrite footage after a short period, so it is important to act quickly to preserve this evidence. Written requests to preserve video can help prevent it from being lost.

What compensation is available for slips and falls in Philadelphia stores?

Compensation in a Philadelphia store slip and fall case may include payment for medical expenses, future treatment costs, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity. Damages may also cover pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. The amount of compensation depends on the severity of the injuries, the impact on daily activities, and the strength of the evidence showing the store’s negligence.

Contact a Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney

If you or a loved one was injured in a slip-and-fall at a store, restaurant, grocery store or other retail establishment in Philadelphia County, contact our attorneys online or by telephone at (267) 435-2557. Schedule your free consultation to learn how we can help you receive compensation and damages after sustaining a slip-and-fall injury.