For Los Angeles shoppers looking for a break from the warehouse feel of many stores, Target can offer a different kind of experience.
Target strives to offer groceries, upscale clothing, electronics, and home goods all under one big roof. Their aisles are inviting, but customers still must cover a lot of floor space when they enter. And with each step, there are dangers lurking underfoot they might not have thought of.
A broken juice bottle or a dab of lotion that ends up on the tile can cause a dangerous Target Slip-And-Fall Accident and injury. It’s after a hard landing that victims may question how to convince a major retail chain to provide injury support.
Los Angeles Target Liability in Slip-And-Fall Accidents
Los Angeles has nearly two dozen Target locations around the city. They are perfectly situated to allow every resident access to spend their money. But Target owes shoppers more than just a line of credit on their Red Cards.
Whether you shop at the location off the 110 Freeway or the La Cienega Boulevard store, they owe shoppers at every location a safe journey into their stores. That includes the trip across their large parking lots, in their eyeglass centers, and their pharmacy departments.
The dangers are easy to spot when you’re paying attention, but busy shoppers don’t always catch sight of hazards along the aisles and they shouldn’t have to.
When there’s a clean-up or repair needed, store owners and operators are legally required to see to it in a reasonable amount of time. When they don’t and someone gets hurt, victims can hold Target financially responsible.
Los Angeles Target Slip-And-Fall Dangers
These are just a few of the ways Target may be guilty of exposing shoppers to dangerous fall hazards:
- Aisle Dangers – Spills from drinks from the Target snack bar or liquid soap ending up on the floor in the pharmacy make for dangerous slip-and-fall obstacles. Employees attempting to restock merchandise can leave small boxes on the floor that cause a trip-and-fall accident.
- Produce and Deli Section Dangers – Grapes or tomatoes make their way to the floor to create fall risks. Water can form a puddle near produce bins and take someone’s foot out from under them. Cake frosting and cookies dropped by children might also be the unseen threat that forces the victim to the ground.
- Bathroom Hazards – Water and soap on the floor can make it almost impossible for people to venture across safely. Taking a fall around a stall or a sink might cause a victim to suffer a powerful blow to the head.
- Dairy and Freezer Case Dangers – Eggs might crack when they fall to the tile. A leaky milk carton can trail droplets throughout the store. Freezer and refrigerator cases might discharge condensation that’s almost invisible on those reflective floors.
- Parking Lot Hazards – Target’s liability doesn’t stop at the front door. It extends to each parking spot and cart corral. A pothole or a crumbling sidewalk might send you down on your knee or, worse, leave you to absorb a fall with your face. When customers are tracking in rainwater, it’s also up to Target to keep the entrances mopped up and “wet floor” signs out.
Common Injuries After a Target Trip-and-Fall
It all seems like a problem that can’t happen to you or your family, but accidents at big box stores occur every day across the U.S.
If you take a fall, you may be in for more than just a small delay in your shopping. Victims can suffer long-term injuries and require months of expensive medical care.
When a slip-and-fall occurs, victims are usually sent backward or sideways. The kinds of injuries emergency room doctors see out of these accidents can be severe.
These are some of the most common Target Slip-and-Fall injuries reported:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI). A head striking a shelf or the floor can cause concussions. TBIs can result in long and short-term memory loss. They may also cause mood swings, seizures, and difficulty speaking.
- Damage to the spinal cord and spinal structure may lead to paralysis. These sorts of injuries may also cause a diminished life expectancy.
- Dislocations and broken bones are also routinely treated after a fall on a hard floor. They can require surgery and result in a permanent disability. A hip fracture is a common outcome of a fall. Patients may struggle to fully heal from a broken hip and experience other health issues during recovery.
Trip-and-fall accidents often send victims lunging forward. This motion exposes hands and wrists to impacts as victims try to slow their fall. Failing to stop a fall may leave a victim hitting a hard surface face first. Facial and dental fractures are not uncommon in trip-and-falls.
Securing Evidence and Meeting Deadlines for Target Slip-And-Fall Victims
After a painful fall, there are a few important tasks you should complete if you are able:
- Get photos of the obstacle that caused you to fall.
- Alert a manager about what happened. The manager will need to fill out an incident report for Target Headquarters. This report may go a long way to proving your innocence and Target’s negligence.
- Get contact information from any witnesses.
Once an accident occurs, California allows victims up to two years to file a claim for damages. It’s important not to wait months or years to explore filing a claim against Target. The longer you wait the harder it will be for your Target Slip-And-Fall Lawyer to investigate your case, secure documents, and track down witnesses.
You want to give your lawyer the best chance to build a strong case so you can secure money for every medical bill. Your claim can also serve to recover every paycheck you’ve lost while having to be away from your job.
Contact a Los Angeles Target Slip-And-Fall Lawyer
If you or a loved one have suffered a serious injury at a Los Angeles Target location, make sure you receive the support you need in recovery. When Target’s managers or employees are negligent in their duties to keep you and your family safe, demand what’s fair in compensation.
Filing an accident claim against Target could bring out their corporate lawyers working to limit what you receive. You won’t have to worry about this threat to your wellbeing when you have an experienced Los Angeles Slip-And-Fall Attorney fighting on your side.
Contact attorney Martin Gasparian for a free and confidential case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian works with victims to make sure they are never forced to take the blame for the unsafe environments national chains like Target sometimes allow. Turning over your case to a highly regarded Los Angeles Attorney will allow you the time you need to focus on healing while someone else worries over getting your bills paid.
