Slips and falls in public places happen often, and for the majority of people, injuries sustained may prove minor. Yet some individuals fall due to slippery floors in grocery stores or malls and face serious injuries that may prove life-threatening, and these individuals may require significant compensation.
If you face injury due to slipping and falling in a store and want to seek compensation for your related injury expenses, you want to contact an experienced personal injury attorney to help you bring a successful negligence case forward. These attorneys specialize in determining negligent behavior and offer advice and expertise in bringing a claim against stores or malls. If you suffer injury due to a slip-and-fall accident, do not fight for compensation alone.
Determining negligent parties
According to Pennsylvania law, recovering damages for slipping and falling in a public place requires the proof of negligence. In most cases, the negligent party will include the workers responsible for ensuring that the floors themselves were dry. You may have the opportunity to seek compensation from the store if it can be proven that:
- The store had a duty to care for your well-being upon entering as a customer.
- The store breached that duty of care by not providing a safe entryway.
- Due to the unsafe entryway, you fell.
- Because you fell, you were injured, and you require compensation.
Your own negligence matters in slip-and-fall injuries
The state of Pennsylvania operates under contributory negligence laws. Contributory negligence involves determining negligence of parties involved before awarding compensation.
In personal injury cases, victims and other parties involved will have their negligence assessed to determine fault. Unfortunately, if you prove 50 percent or more at fault for your injuries, you may not have the opportunity to receive compensation benefits.
Usually, in cases involving storefronts and wet floors, however, a court will justify your claim for compensation if it recognizes that the store should have offered a safe entryway for all customers entering.
In any case involving personal injury and negligence disputes, you first want to attend to your medical needs. After, you or a witness may want to:
- Take pictures of the scene
- Document the weather
- Determine any sight or hazardous factors
Speaking with an experienced attorney will provide you the best opportunity to receive compensation, even if you prove to be partially negligent when you received your injuries. Understand that the state of Pennsylvania works diligently to award victims in slip-and-fall cases when they need compensatory benefits.
