When you enter a Duane Reade or Walgreens to pick up prescriptions or do other shopping, you rightfully expect the store owner and manager to provide a safe environment. Although they generally do comply with this duty of care, sometimes a slippery floor or obstacles in the aisles can cause a slip and fall accident.
Slip and fall accidents can generate serious injuries that result in large medical bills. When combined with lost income from days missed at work, an accident victim can find themselves in deep financial trouble. If you find yourself in this situation, you should know that you might be able to recover your losses from the Duane Reade/Walgreens or other pharmacy owner.
An injury lawyer for slip and fall accidents at Duane Reade/Walgreens can explain your legal options for demanding compensation. Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC for a free consultation. You can reach us at (800) 647-3113.
Pharmacies Owe You a Duty
Any Walgreens or Duane Reade store policy requires that employees and managers ensure the safety of people who visit the store. This duty extends to providing for safety both inside and outside the facility. In this vein, such individuals should aim to foresee any potential hazards to prevent accidents—cleaning spills and clearing walkways before a slip and fall occurs. For example, if a customer spills a beverage, an employee should either immediately clean it up or place a “wet floor” sign around the area of the spill. When staff or managers ignore such a hazard, they have violated their duty of care to store occupants. In this case, liability for any slip and fall injury that results from the spill falls squarely on the property owner, and the victim can file a third-party claim against the store’s insurance policy and/or file a lawsuit against the property owner.
Elements of the “Duty of Care” Doctrine
This hypothetical scenario comprises all the elements of the legal premise that your lawyer will need to establish in your slip and fall accident case, which include the following:
- The store owed you a duty of care.
- The store breached this duty of care.
- The breach of duty (negligence) caused your slip and fall accident.
- You suffered injury and damages as a result.
Our lawyers can investigate the cause of your accident, gathering evidence to establish the required elements in their pursuit of fair compensation for your damages.
Investigating Your Accident
Once you hire Ben Crump Law, PLLC to represent you in your slip accident case, we will launch an investigation into the cause of your accident, as well as the losses you suffered as a result of your injuries.
Toward this end, we will gather evidence from the following sources:
- The Duane Reade/Walgreens where your accident took place
- Video footage from surveillance cameras
- Photos taken at the scene of the accident
- The store’s accident report
- The facility’s safety record
- Testimonies from witnesses
- Your injury-related medical records
- Wage statements from your employer
- Expert testimony regarding future losses
We will leave no stone unturned when seeking the evidence that will underscore the liability of the pharmacy where you experienced your slip and fall accident.
How Slips and Falls Happen at Duane Reade/Walgreens
Slip and fall accidents can happen for a wide variety of reasons in a drugstore like Duane Reade or Walgreens. Floors can get slippery from rain or snow falling from customers’ shoes or from spilled drinks or food items. A pharmacy that strives to keep its facility clean may experience wet floors from periodic mopping. Accidents can also happen when store visitors trip over products knocked over from shelves or inventory that a stocker fails to clear from the floor.
Generally speaking, however, this type of accident happens at a pharmacy for the same reasons it would happen anywhere else, even a hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines the following common factors in slip and fall accidents suffered by healthcare workers:
- Water, fluid, food, oil, or grease on the floor
- Irregular walking surfaces outside
- Poor lighting
- Incorrect use of runners and floor mats
- Loose wires, cords, clutter, and other tripping hazards
- Snow, ice, and other weather conditions
- Damaged drains and pipes
- Handrails and stairs
- Ladders and stepstools
Whatever caused your slip and fall accident at Duane Reade/Walgreens, our lawyers will fight to ensure that the at-fault parties compensate you fairly for your losses.
Type of Damages You Might Recover
The value of your claim depends on the severity of your injuries, costs for medical treatment, the impact on your employment, and other losses unique to your case. Our lawyers will calculate your damages using evidence uncovered from our investigation and from experts’ opinions on the future impact you will endure due to your injuries. We will include the values of these losses in a demand letter we will present to Duane Reade/Walgreens’ insurers. If they refuse to negotiate a fair settlement, we will file a lawsuit on your behalf and take the matter to trial for a jury to decide.
Whether through an insurance settlement or court award, some of the types of damages you might recover in your case include:
- Costs of medical treatment (past and future)
- Prescription medicines
- Physical therapy/rehabilitation
- Hospital stays
- Lost income and benefits
- Diminished future potential earnings
- Diminished enjoyment of life
- Pain and suffering
If you lost a loved one due to the injuries they suffered in a slip and fall accident, you can pursue a wrongful death action. We can assist you with this legal effort.
Contact an Injury Lawyer for Slip and Fall Accidents at Duane Reade/Walgreens
Ben Crump Law, PLLC works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay us only when and if we win you a settlement or court award. Our lawyers do not shy away from tough cases, and they will fight to recover the damages you suffered from your slip and fall accident injuries.
Keep in mind that your state abides by a statute of limitations that restricts how much time you have to take legal action for your case. The sooner you hire an attorney, the more time you give them to build a case on your behalf.
Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC today for a free consultation by dialing (800) 647-3113.
