Fresno residents have a lot of choices when they find themselves in need of groceries, health and beauty products, homeware, and clothing. However, there’s one place that has all of these items and more all under one roof.
Many families in Fresno make Walmart a weekly stop when stocking up on meals for the week. It’s a handy place to check off everything on a shopping list, but there are also health hazards that come with offering so much under one roof.
Walmart sells a lot of products that can make a real mess when they end up on the floor. The rush of customers during busy times also leaves debris along the aisles and spills where you’d least expect them. All of these dangers and more can drop you or a family member to the floor to suffer a Fresno Walmart accident and injury.
Accident Dangers at Walmart
Walmart offers a massive selection of items and they also situate their stores in a way so that every address in Fresno has a location nearby. These include supercenters on East Ashlan Avenue and West Shaw Avenue and stores in at least four other spots. Fresno is also home to a couple of the smaller Walmart Neighborhood Markets. That doesn’t even count the nearby Walmarts in Clovis.
It’s a massive operation and shoppers generally reap the benefits in selection and savings. Yet, it’s Walmart’s popularity that creates daily hazards that could leave you or a family member the victims of a Fresno Walmart Accident.
Children may spill juice on the tile or water may collect on the produce section floor. During shopping rushes, managers and employees may not take the time to inspect for these hazards or may not care about them until someone is hurt in a slip-and-fall accident. In these instances, Walmart, as a local store and a national retail giant can be held liable for recovery costs.
In fact, there are dangers inside and outside your neighborhood Walmart.
These are just a few of the hazards that could leave you injured and wondering how to secure help with your hospital bills:
- Aisle Dangers – A child may drop a giant fountain soda on the floor. Puddles may develop in the garden center. Boxes may be left along the aisle. These obstacles can trip you up or cause a slip-and-fall resulting in a back or hip injury.
- Bathroom Dangers – For some reason, bathroom floors seem to be made of the most slippery material of all. Soap and water make them even worse. You could slip and take a hard blow to the head and suffer a skull or brain injury.
- Parking Lot Hazards – Walmart is also responsible for your safety when you pull into their parking lots. Potholes or a crumbling sidewalk may trip you and cause you to suffer a broken kneecap or a hand or wrist injury. Rain also gets tracked into the front door area to create an immediate slip-and-fall hazard.
- Walmart Fuel Centers – Some Walmarts also invite you to fill up your tank while at their stores. You may slip on another vehicle’s oil leak and be at risk of a serious impact with a gas pump or a cement pylon.
- Falling merchandise and Exposed Wiring – You may not fall, but something may fall on you. Heavy products sitting overhead often come loose to injure anyone who happens to be walking by. Wiring left exposed can also present a shock hazard. Sometimes store managers leave these hazards unrepaired until someone gets seriously hurt.
What to Do After a Fresno Walmart Slip-And-Fall
Not only is Walmart supposed to fix or clean up potential hazards to customers, they are also responsible for monitoring their floor space and parking lots for dangers when they arise. When they don’t get these vital repairs done in a reasonable amount of time, injured victims are permitted to file a claim against the Walmart Corporation.
Proving that your accident was due to Walmart’s negligence is another matter. You’ll need to collect the best evidence possible.
That usually means gathering as many details on the scene as possible if you are feeling well enough to do so:
- See to Your Health – Call 911 if there’s an injury involved. Don’t try to move if you are in pain. Go to the hospital if necessary.
- Take Cellphone Photos – Show the obstacle that caused your fall before Walmart managers or employees can clean up or remove the evidence. If no warning signs are in place, get photographic evidence.
- Alert a Manager – Walmart headquarters will want an incident report on what happened. This report may prove to be valuable for your case. Don’t speculate with the manager on how badly you are hurt and don’t accept blame.
- Discuss What Happened With Witnesses – Find out how your Fresno Walmart Accident Attorney can contact all witnesses later.
- Keep evidence – Don’t throw away any receipts from your shopping trip before the accident. Hold onto the shoes you were wearing when the accident occurred in case Walmart claims your worn-out soles were to blame for a fall.
- Schedule an Appointment with Your Doctor – Even if you were treated in an emergency room, go see your physician to get all of your injuries documented. Do everything the doctor recommends and save all medical invoices.
Earning Injury Compensation After a Fresno Walmart Accident
California’s personal injury claim statute of limitations stands at two years. You have two years from the date of the accident to file a claim against Walmart to get help with your recovery costs. The longer you wait to get your case underway, the harder time your personal injury lawyer will have gathering additional evidence and tracking down witnesses to build your case.
In a successful case that earns an insurance settlement or judgment, you can receive compensation for every hardship you and your family have faced.
This can include:
- All Present and Future Medical Bills.
- Rehab Treatment and Medical Equipment.
- Travel to Appointments Locally and in Other Cities.
- Lost Income While Missing Work.
- Permanent Disability/Disfigurement Support.
- Pain and Emotional Trauma.
- Loss of Consortium. (Benefits for family members when the victim can no longer participate in family activities as before)
Contact a Fresno Walmart Injury Accident Lawyer
After you or a loved one have suffered a serious injury at a Walmart location, make sure you get full support in recovery by talking to a Fresno Slip-And-Fall Accident Attorney.
Walmart should be fully liable for the hardships you and your family endure, but they will have corporate lawyers working to prove otherwise. They may even blame you for your own accident. Choosing a skilled personal injury lawyer can protect you from this unfair behavior.
Contact attorney Martin Gasparian for a free and confidential case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian works with victims to make sure they are never forced to pay for someone else’s negligence. You may feel helpless against a retail giant like Walmart, but turning over your case to a Fresno Attorney will allow you time to heal without worry over bills.
