Food Center stores opened in 1991 with a mission of providing shoppers in the Bay Area and Central Valley a taste of the fresh-food markets found in Mexico and Latin America along with the brand names local shoppers are accustomed to.
As of 2020, they have 22 stores in Northern California, and they have built a strong base of customers who shop with them on a regular basis. With all these customers returning and with the stores growing in market share, there are bound to be slip and fall accidents, with some customers suffering serious injuries.
Fixing Safety Hazards
There’s no reason to believe that the owners of the Food Center stores don’t work hard to keep their store safe, but accidents are bound to happen in any grocery store. The owners and managers of each store have a duty to keep the public spaces reasonably free from dangerous hazards.
Reasonably is the important word here because the law allows the owner to fix any dangerous hazard in a reasonable amount of time. When most victims make a claim, the owner usually responds by saying that they fixed their hazards in a timely manner.
At Maison Law, we’ve heard all the defenses, and we know how to build a case that will get you compensation for your injuries.
Types of Injuries in a Slip and Fall
There are numerous ways a dangerous hazard can cause an injury in a grocery store. At Maison Law, we’ve seen all types, and in most cases, the owner has failed to properly clean up or fix a dangerous hazard. Some of the more common injuries we’ve seen come from stores like Food Centers are:
- Head Injuries
- Broken Ankles
- Broken Wrists
- Fractured Hips
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Deep Lacerations
- Electrocutions
- Chemical Burns
Making a Slip and Fall Claim
The law puts the burden of proof on the victim who has to prove that the store owner was negligent and that the negligence led to the injury. There are two primary ways to prove negligence in a slip and fall, and either one will create liability for the injured.
Failure to Act after Notice
Once the owner has notice that there is a hazard, they have a reasonable amount of time to fix the problem. The law doesn’t specify what a reasonable time is, and it changes based on the circumstances.
This doesn’t mean that the owner can just do nothing and wait until someone reports the hazard and then do something about it. Rather the duty extends to diligently looking out for safety hazards with employees doing store sweeps and other safety measures.
Negligent Fix
Sometimes when the hazard is fixed, the person who fixed it did so negligently. He or she could have been using a toxic cleaner that sickened others in the store or tried to fix a pipe that leaked even more and customers were injured.
Claimed Denied
Insurance companies will routinely deny slip and fall claims because they know that the burden of proof for an unrepresented victim is tough to overcome. But at Maison Law, we will build a proper case and then work with the insurance company to settle the claim.
Most of the claims end up settling, but if they don’t, we are ready to take them to court and get the compensation that you deserve.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer.
After an accident involving a serious injury in the Central Valley, contact attorney Martin Gasparian for a free consultation and case evaluation. Mr. Gasparian takes a hands-on approach to every case. He believes that every client should work directly with their lawyer, get honest advice, and personalized attention to detail their case deserves.
