Fort Lauderdale Retail Store Injury Lawyer
When you go shopping at a retail store, you assume that the store will be clean, well-lit, and safe. However, sometimes retail stores do not maintain the premises or warn customers of hazards, and accidents can occur. The Fort Lauderdale retail store injury lawyers at Leifer & Ramirez hold retail store owners and operators responsible for failing to protect the customers that enter their store and can fight to get you the compensation that you deserve for your injuries.
Retail Store Premises Liability
Retail store injuries fall under the doctrine of premises liability. This means that owners and occupiers of property have a duty to keep the property relatively safe and free of dangerous conditions for guests. Retail stores have the highest duty of care for their customers, also known as business invitees. Retail store owners are required by law to keep the premises in a safe condition and repair all known dangerous conditions or warn their customers about those conditions.
In addition, retail stores must routinely check the premises and can be found liable for any damages caused by hazardous conditions they either knew or should have known about. This high standard differs from other types of visitors for premises liability, such as licensees or trespassers, because retail stores can be held accountable for hazards they were not aware of if they failed to check their store.
Common Types of Retail Store Accidents
Accidents in retail stores can happen in a wide variety of ways and cause a number of different injuries. According to the National Retail Federation, the most common types of accidents in retail stores include:
- Slips and falls from liquids spilled on floors and aisles
- Trips from uneven or broken stairs, elevators, or escalators
- Injuries from merchandise falling from shelves
- Cuts from jagged shelves and showcases
- Damage from revolving and slamming door breakdowns
- Insufficient lighting in parking lots
Injuries from retail accidents can span from minor cuts and bruises to life-altering and permanent disability. Broken bones, cuts and lacerations, head and neck injuries, back injuries, spinal cord damage, concussion, traumatic brain injury, internal organ damage, and more can all be caused by a retail store failing to keep their premises safe for their customers.
Compensation for Retail Store Accidents
If you are injured because a retail store failed to fix a hazardous condition or warn you of its existence, you may have a claim for compensation for your injuries. Restitution can include economic damages for physical, tangible harms and non-economic damages for pain and suffering and other injury. Total compensation for a retail store accident may include some or all of the following:
- Present and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement or disability
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Call Our Office Today
If you have been injured while shopping at a retail store you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Call the office or contact us today at Leifer & Ramirez in Fort Lauderdale to schedule a free review of your case with one of our experienced premises liability attorneys now.
