The lack of a wet floor sign around a puddle or a freshly mopped area is just additional proof of Walmart’s negligence in a slip-and-fall case. With this and other evidence, a victim who suffered an injury could hold Walmart financially liable for all medical bills and many other hardships.
Proving Walmart Is Responsible for Your Slip-And-Fall
Under premises liability law, retailers are required to show their customers a “duty of care.” That means they must protect shoppers from harm on their entire business property. That includes monitoring for puddles, mopping up wet areas, and posting wet floor signs while the tile is still wet.
When someone is hurt in Walmart after slipping on rainwater tracked in near the entrance or slipping on soapy floors in the bathroom, they are empowered to seek help with treatment for something like a broken bone or head trauma.
Walmart can try to deny its liability and that’s why it’s good to get evidence that shows their negligence in their “duty to care.” Managers and employees who fail to put out “wet floor” signs in damp areas can make for strong evidence. However, slip-and-fall victims can receive injury support when there were wet floor signs out in some cases.
The best idea is to gather all the evidence you can after a fall, right there in the store. If you feel strong enough, try to collect these details for your case:
- Call 911 if you are injured – Allow paramedics to check out every pain you have. Go to the emergency room if necessary. If you must leave the scene ask someone with you or a helpful bystander to gather a few pieces of evidence for you.
- Use your cellphone to get images – Take photos of the obstacle that caused your fall. Show the warning signs around the hazard or show where the signs should have been. Take a picture of any visible injuries and damage to clothing.
- Tell a Walmart manager you fell – A manager will need to prepare a store incident report for his owner or corporate office. Your personal injury lawyer can use this report as evidence later. Don’t talk about how badly you are hurt or accept any blame for what happened. You likely won’t know the answer to these questions until you’ve had some time to get over the shock of the fall. Walmart may try to twist these statements later to use an excuse to reject your claim.
- Chat with witnesses – Get their contact information. Employees who saw the accident may also be willing to help.
- Keep evidence – Retain any personal items damaged in your fall. Don’t throw out the shoes you were wearing when you fell. Insurance agents sometimes like to lay blame on old shoes with worn soles. You can show them visual proof that they are wrong. Keep any receipts from your shopping.
- Visit your physician – Make an appointment with your doctor. Get all pain and injuries detailed on a medical report. Add any injuries that suddenly appear in the days after a fall.
- Contact a Skilled California Slip-And-Fall Lawyer – Walmart may use its own corporate lawyers to attack your case. A lawyer can be a strong defense against their tactics to rob you of compensation. Your lawyer can also often get you much more in a settlement check than you could win by handling your case yourself.
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 Walmart. But if you endure a more serious injury, it’s a good idea to go over your options with a California Walmart slip-and-fall accident lawyer.
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. And if you feel we can help you earn more for your case, you don’t need to worry about finding the money to hire a lawyer. We don’t get paid unless we score a case victory for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement Walmart must provide to you.
