teens with legal issues

The stores that you shop in are obligated to provide a safe environment for shoppers, and if you have been injured because of a retail store's negligence, you may have a personal injury claim. While it falls upon everyone to take due care when out in public, retail establishments may be responsible for failing to warn a shopper from potential hazards. To learn more about how stores may be liable for your injury, read on.

Your Share of Responsibility

Stores cannot guard it's patrons from all possible dangers; it's just impractical. The court takes into consideration how much of the fault, or liability, lies with the patron. If there is a possibility that you were aware of the hazard, and could have avoided it, the court may rule the store only partially responsible for your injury.

For example, if you knew that the floor was wet due to rainy weather, and there were warning cones placed near the entrances, but you slipped and fell anyway, you could be partially at fault. The store could not have reasonably been expected to keep the floor completely dry at all times, and you should have been aware of the wet weather and noted the warning cones.

The Store's Share of Responsibility

The retail store bears the burden of ensuring your safety while on their premises, even if they were not directly responsible for your accident. For instance, if another patron spills food or drink onto the floor, and you, unaware of the spill, slipped and fell, the store may be liable for any resulting injuries. While you may bear some responsibility for not seeing the spill, the store may be responsible for allowing people to eat while shopping, and indeed they may even provide free samples of food and drink for the patrons to consume while shopping.

Common Retail Hazards

Stores may be liable for a wide variety of accidents that occur on their property, such as:

• Failing to keep sidewalks salted or clear of ice at the store entrances, causing slips and falls.
• Failing to properly light their parking lot, causing a potential for not only falls, but criminal acts.
• Failing to keep the floor areas clear of wrinkled mats, electrical cords, liquids etc.
• Failing to use due care when creating large stacked can displays in store aisles.

Contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible if you have been the victim of a retail store's negligence. Evidence could be hard to gather if you wait. Take action promptly to ensure that you are fairly compensated for your injury.