Fresno shoppers visit warehouse stores like Smart & Final with the hopes of cutting down on grocery trips for the month. They hope to collect the supplies their families need all in one stop.
It’s a great way to save cash and time. But even with fewer trips, there are dangers along those big aisles you and your family should be aware of.
When Smart & Final employees neglect to clean up slippery messes or leave pallets and boxes out, you face the risk of taking a slip-and-fall or a trip-and-fall injury. You may be confused about who to ask for support when it’s time to pay hospital bills.
Contact a Fresno Grocery Store Slip-And-Fall Lawyer for a Free Case Evaluation
There’s a no-risk way to find out where to turn for support after a grocery store fall by contacting Maison Law of Fresno for a free case consultation.
After an accident, insurance representatives and corporate lawyers for Smart & Final will be calling you to see just how little you’ll accept for what you have been through. Know what your injury is worth before insurance adjusters try to convince you it’s worth almost nothing at all.
Maison Law’s Grocery Store Slip-And-Fall Accident Lawyers are happy to go over your options with you free of charge. If you decide you’d like our help in filing your accident claim, you don’t have to worry about having enough money. We don’t collect payment unless we win financial support for you and your family.
Smart & Final Trip-And-Fall Dangers in Fresno
It’s not something most shoppers usually have time to consider. However, there are many ways people sustain injuries in supermarkets each year.
A public place like Smart & Final must pay all visitors a “duty of care.” It means that under California law store owners and proprietors must make each customer’s journey through a store as reasonably safe as possible.
That means inspecting aisles routinely for puddles another shopper may have caused by spilling a beverage. It means keeping wet bathroom floors mopped. It also means inspecting parking lots for tripping hazards like potholes. Stores are also responsible for removing obstacles they create themselves like picking up stocking crates and boxes and cleaning up pools of water in the produce section.
When these duties are neglected and victims get hurt, it’s reasonable to think that Smart & Final and their corporate owners should pay for all recovery costs.
Most Common Injuries After a Smart & Final Accident
These recovery costs may include the paychecks you miss out on while out of work with your injury. They also include the hospital invoices, doctor bills, and physical therapy costs you build up.
Depending on the type of injury you suffer these costs can be enormous and more than you could ever hope to pay. You shouldn’t have to when you’ve been seriously hurt by the mistake of a Smart & Final employee or another customer.
It’s important to secure not just compensation for an emergency room visit but for every cost of recovery that follows. The bills can pile up, especially when you consider how severe a slip-and-fall accident can be.
These are just a few of the common and serious injuries that may stem from a slip-and-fall grocery accident:
- Head Injuries – A fall that sends you near a shelf or down on your own cart could give you a serious blow to the head. Skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries are possible. A brain injury may leave you with memory loss, intense headaches, and a loss of control of certain bodily functions.
- Damage to the Spinal Cord — Damage to vertebrae might lead to paralysis and a loss of mobility. Back and neck pain is also common and can be debilitating.
- Dislocations and Broken Bones – Hands, wrists, and elbows can break while trying to catch yourself from falling. A hip fracture can leave you unable to walk and being bedridden in recovery can lead to other serious health issues.
Trip-and-fall grocery store accidents usually result in different kinds of injuries because they usually send victims falling forward. Uneven sidewalks and crumbling pavement in the parking lot can cause a trip to send you down to land on your face. Cheekbones, noses, and jawbones can fracture. Serious damage to teeth is common.
Potholes in parking lots result in many trip-and-fall accidents and may result in painful knee injuries. A busted knee can lead to major surgery and leave you off your feet for months.
Gathering Evidence on the Scene of Your Fresno Grocery Store Fall
After a fall, it’s likely that store managers and employees will be thinking about covering their own tracks when it comes to accepting blame. It’s important to act quickly to show the scene as it was when you fell before store representatives can clean it up.
But first, call 911 if you need medical attention. Alert them to every pain you have. Go to the hospital if they recommend it or you feel you should.
Then, if you can move around okay, take photos of the hazard that caused your fall. Show any caution signs around or show the lack of safety precautions. Get contact information from any witnesses around. They may not have seen you fall, but they could testify that the hazard existed.
Also, inform the manager immediately. Smart & Final corporate HQ will want a report written up about what happened. This report can prove to be strong evidence for your case. Be ready to turn all evidence over to your Fresno Personal Injury Lawyer.
Contact a Fresno Smart & Final Slip-And-Fall Accident Lawyer
If you or a family member have been injured while on a trip to Smart & Final, it’s a smart idea to speak with a Fresno Slip-And-Fall Accident Lawyer. Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, offers a free, no-obligation case consultation to victims and their families. He would like all victims to be informed of their rights before they speak to any insurance representative.
Mr. Gasparian has an extensive background in taking on corporate chains for his clients and earning the maximum compensation available for victims and their families. Thousands of dollars are forfeited by accident victims each year because they let insurance companies and corporate lawyers decide what they should receive. Don’t make this mistake and end up paying for a large percentage of your recovery out of pocket.
