Personal injuries incurred from a slip in a public place are the most common type of claim filed. There are, however, claims involving injuries incurred on privately owned properties. Whether privately owned, or publicly owned, the property owner has a legal responsibility to ensure that the entire property is reasonably safe. Because of the frequency of falls that happen in a public place, the following information will be pertinent to a slip and fall in a grocery store.
First observations…
It’s important to remember that while many cases each year are settled in favor of the plaintiff, you should consider the following points before you immediately file a claim with a personal injury lawyer:
• Is it probable that the owner or an employee of the owner caused the adverse conditions that led to your fall and injury?
• Is it possible that the owner or an employee of the owner knew about the adverse condition, and did not respond timely enough to avoid injuries?
• Is it reasonable to assume that the owner or an employee of the owner should have known about the adverse condition, and would a reasonable person have known about the adverse condition?
• If applicable, was there a warning sign in the area where the accident occurred?
In order for a store or business to be liable for your injury, you must be able to prove negligence, and that that specific negligence led to your injury. Moreover, you must determine who is at fault specifically. While the store or business owner would be the most common choice, there may also be a case against a manager who is under lease. When dealing with larger businesses such as Wal-Mart, or Food Lion, the manager of the particular store is usually held responsible. If there are multiple managers, you could have a case against the particular shift manager on duty at the time of the accident.
Building your case…
If you feel that negligence of the store or business employees led to your injury, the next step should be finding a personal injury lawyer. There are lawyers who specialize in personal injury cases such as slip and fall accidents, and these lawyers are more likely to achieve a positive outcome to your specific case. Finding local Chino Hills slip and fall accident lawyers can be overwhelming. It’s recommended that you take advantage of various services that aid in this process. Helpful services include lawyer referral services, which should be free to use, local Chino Hills directories, and personal references. It’s also important to sit down and discuss your case with the lawyer before you make a final decision on which attorney to use.
Lawyer referral services are not limited to just the lawyers that are local. Most of the time, these services can find the best attorney for you, even if that law firm happens to be in another state. Moreover, most law firms have attorneys in multiple states, so the distance between yourself and the best law firm is irrelevant.