An injury claim over a slip-and-fall accident at Target could take just a few weeks to settle if the injury is relatively minor. But claims involving a more serious injury like a broken bone or a head injury could take longer. Higher medical bills can prompt Target to fight accepting responsibility for its mistake that caused a fall. Common insurance company tactics can cause settlement negotiations to drag on for 6 months to a year or more, especially for victims who don’t have strong legal representation.
Target’s Responsibility to Victims Injured in Its Stores
Target swipes your credit cards and accepts your money, but they owe you more than just a cart full of household items and groceries. California law expects Target to accept full responsibility for the safety of its customers at all times. This is true anywhere on their property, from the parking lot to the bathrooms.
If Target employees create a hazard, for example, by leaving boxes on aisle floors after stocking, and you trip and fall and get hurt, you sue Target for your recovery costs..
If another customer drips bottled water across an aisle, Target is also responsible for monitoring for messes and cleaning them up promptly. If you step in a puddle and slip, Target would usually be liable for the painful consequences. This support should cover your medical bills and all of your time lost at work at the very least.
Sadly, instead of offering immediate help, Target and its insurance adjusters can instead look for ways to avoid paying for recovery. They can also delay responding to your accident claim, knowing you’ll be getting more and more desperate as your bills pile up. They may claim you were just clumsy or staring at a cellphone and that’s why you fell.
Target may even call in its corporate lawyers to find ways to deny your claim. These are sure signs that you should contact a lawyer of your own.
How Can an Attorney Make a Difference After a Target Slip-And-Fall Accident?
Your lawyer can establish that you weren’t at fault for what happened, and call out Target when they leave you hanging too long waiting on support. These are a few of the ways a California slip-and-fall attorney can help:
- Contact the Insurer Directly: Your lawyer would contact the insurance provider and demand to speak to someone who makes actual decisions. Your lawyer would also warn the insurance company about the unfair treatment of victims.
- Report the Insurer: There are also California statutes that force insurers to respond to slip-and-fall victims in a certain amount of time. Your lawyer could report the insurance provider for Target, you’ve been forced to deal with.
- Back Your Case With Evidence: Your lawyer also collects powerful evidence to show who was at fault in an accident. This makes it harder for insurers to make excuses and justify stalling or denying coverage.
- Earn You More: A skilled attorney can often win victims much more in compensation than they could win by filing a claim themselves. An experienced lawyer knows when Target is sending victims a “lowball” settlement offer and can reject it to demand more in support.
- The Threat of a Lawsuit: A Maison Law attorney also represents the threat of a lawsuit. If Target’s insurance company isn’t acting fairly and accepting responsibility, your attorney would have a strong case prepared to take the insurer to court. This threat is often enough to get insurance companies back to the negotiating table. They want to avoid the cost and embarrassment of having their behavior examined by a judge and jury. Victims are often handed a much more suitable settlement amount when a lawsuit is a real possibility.
Your lawyer handles the frustrating back-and-forth of negotiation with as little disruption to you and your family as possible. You are given this time to focus on healing and not financial worries. You can rest easy that your experienced attorney is demanding the maximum in compensation available.
Contact a California Slip-And-Fall Accident Lawyer
If you only suffer some minor bruising and soreness after a fall, you might not need a lawyer’s help to file your claim with Target. But if you endure a more serious injury, it’s a good idea to go over your options with a skilled lawyer. When medical bills run higher, a lawyer can often secure you much more for your claim than you could win for yourself. Your lawyer can also go after insurance providers who purposely delay taking action.
Speak with a skilled California Target slip-and-fall accident lawyer after any fall. It’s critical to know about every benefit available to you and your family because lawyers working for Target won’t be informing you about all of your options.
Contact Maison Law for a free, no-obligation consultation. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your injury is worth and what you should demand from unhelpful insurance companies.
