Often, a slip and fall accident at a grocery store like Whole Foods does not cause any injury beyond a bruised ego. However, victims of slip and fall accidents sometimes suffer serious—even life-altering—injuries. In fact, falls are the nation’s third-leading cause of unintentional death, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).
If you slipped and fell at Whole Foods, you may still be recovering from the shock of the incident, wondering how you will pay for medical expenses and other losses, especially if you have missed time at work. Thankfully, these expenses do not necessarily need to come out of your own pocket.
Most states impose premises liability laws requiring that grocery stores and other retailers take reasonable care to keep their properties safe for customers, employees, and other visitors. If Whole Foods failed in this regard, and this negligence caused your injury, the store may be held liable for the damages you suffered.
An injury lawyer for slip and fall accidents at Whole Foods can help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC today at (800) 647-3113 for a free consultation.
How Slip and Fall Accidents Can Happen
Whole Foods stores, like most grocery stores, embody the type of environment where slips and fall accidents can easily happen. Think of the potential for grocery items dropping, busting open, and spilling. It does not take a banana peel to make someone slip and fall—a smashed avocado, spilled yogurt, or busted bag of trail mix on the floor can just easily cause a shopper to lose their footing.
Even if the store consistently cleans its floors, this can often translate to slippery tile. Usually, you will see a yellow plastic sign near a freshly mopped area, but not always.
Another consideration is the weather. Even in rain, sleet, ice, and snow, people still need to buy groceries. The wetness of rain and snow often come in with shoppers on their shoes, leaving puddles on the floor—ready and waiting for the next customer to slip.
There are many other ways that shoppers can suffer injury at grocery stores, including:
- Display stands that are positioned or stacked with products in a dangerous manner
- Pallets in the aisles as shelves are restocked
- Shopping carts and baskets left in hazardous locations
- Heavy or awkward items placed up high on top shelves, risking a grocery avalanche on the unsuspecting shopper
- Rogue shopping carts in the parking lot
If you or a loved one were injured at Whole Foods due to the store’s negligence, an injury lawyer for slip and fall accidents at Whole Foods can help. Call the team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC today to schedule a free case review.
Duty of Care
Personal injury law requires that plaintiffs in a slip and fall accident claim prove certain criteria before they can seek compensation for their injuries. These requirements make up the legal doctrine known as “Duty of Care,” which consists of the following:
- Duty: The defendant (Whole Foods) owed you a duty to take reasonable steps to keep you safe and free from injury.
- Breach of Duty: The defendant failed to fulfill their obligation to you.
- Causation: The defendant’s violation of their duty of care caused you to slip and fall.
- Damages: You suffered damages as a result of the accident.
Building Your Case
When you hire an injury lawyer for slip and fall accidents at Whole Foods, our team can conduct a thorough investigation to prove all the elements of your case. We will need to gather evidence that proves not only that Whole Foods acted negligently and caused your slip and fall accident, but also that you suffered damages from your injury.
Proving Negligence
To prove negligence, we typically look to many sources, including witness testimony and the store accident report (if available). We will also demand to see the store’s video footage from their surveillance cameras. These cameras have helped many slip and fall cases in the past, as the cameras run constantly and are located throughout the store.
We might find footage that not only shows your slip and fall accident, but also shows previous slips and fall accidents and/or proves that the store demonstrates consistent negligence regarding hazards.
Proving Damages
Our team can also gather the evidence needed to prove that your slip and fall accident at Whole Foods caused you to suffer injury, and that this injury generated economic and non-economic damages. This evidence will likely come from several sources, including:
- Your medical records and bills
- Wage statements from your employer
- Reports written by experts in the areas of medicine, psychology, and occupational therapy
The goal is to show all the ways that your injury has impacted you and will likely continue to impact you into the future, if applicable.
Recoverable Damages
Every slip and fall accident case has unique factors that determine how much a plaintiff can demand from the defendant (via their insurance company). The same holds true for your slip and fall accident at Whole Foods.
Examples of the types of damages you might recover include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income and benefits
- Diminished future potential earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Diminished quality of life
These examples give you a narrow glimpse into just a few of the types of damages you may be able to recover. An injury lawyer for slip and fall accidents at Whole Foods can give you more specific information about damages related to your case.
Wrongful Death
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 30,000 older adults die each year from fall-related injuries. If your loved one died from injuries caused by a slip and fall accident, you may be able to pursue a wrongful death action—whatever their age may be.
Reach Out to an Injury Lawyer
The sooner you talk to an injury lawyer for slip and fall accidents at Whole Foods, the more time you have to build your case. Keep in mind that most states enforce a statute of limitations that restricts the amount of time you have to file claim. In most cases, the clock starts ticking on the day of your accident.
You do not have to go through this process alone. We can help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC today at (800) 647-3113 to speak with a member of our team.
