If You Are Injured While At A Store, Is That Store Liable For Your Injuries?

The laws and regulations underlying liability can be, and often are, rather confusing and complicated. But, by going over the basic laws and regulations that underlie these facts, it is easier to make appropriate legal choices.

Going over whether or not a store is liable for your injuries at that store and speaking with an California personal injury attorney who can assist you will allow you to obtain the compensation you deserve.

If You Are Injured While At A Store, Is That Store Liable For Your Injuries?

The answer to this question is “It depends.”

A store has a legal duty to create a safe environment for its customers. Some of the ways in which a store in California can and must, do this are as follows:

• Inspecting the store for hazards and other related issues.
• Fixing and/or repairing the hazards that they find within their store.
• Putting up warnings for the hazards that have not been fixed.

Just as an example, if a store has a puddle on the floor, within the frozen goods section, then it is their responsibility to put a sign that tells customers there is a puddle on the floor.

If a store fails to do this, and a customer slips and falls on the floor, as a result of that particular hazard, and becomes injured, then they can be held liable.

The same basic concept applies to a wide variety of situations, such as wires and cords being in the middle of the aisle or damaged flooring that causes a customer to trip.

When Is A Store Not Liable For Your Injuries?

A store must provide a safe environment for its customers. But, a store may not be liable for your injuries if:

• Your own actions led to your injury.
• The risk of an injury was open and, in turn, obvious.
• The risk of an injury was not unreasonable.

Some examples of the above are as follows:

• If you choose to climb up on top of a shelf, and jump down, then your actions led to this injury and, as such, the store would not be considered liable for your injuries.
• A ladder that is on the ground floor of a store could be considered an open and, in turn, obvious hazard that someone who is injured by would be unable to receive compensation for.
• If someone trips on an escalator due to their own actions, then this would likely be considered a situation in which the risk of an injury was not unreasonable and was, in fact, foreseeable.

If any one of the examples above applies to your situation, then you may not be able to obtain compensation for your injuries.

Speak With A Northern California Personal Injury Attorney

If you were injured while at a store, then you may be able to obtain compensation. Speak with a Northern California personal injury attorney at Maire & Deedon today, and we will help you obtain the compensation you deserve.