Wet Floors and Slip and Fall Cases
There is a reason that you frequently see “Caution: Wet Floor” signs in supermarkets and other retail locations. Without them, business managers and store owners could be held responsible for any injuries that occur if a patron slips in a hard-to-see puddle. If you or a loved one has been injured by slipping on a wet floor, you may be entitled to compensation. However, proving liability in such cases can be difficult. Fortunately, the Palm Coast attorneys at Chanfrau & Chanfrau will tackle the most difficult wet floors and slip and fall accidents. We are dedicated to investigating your case and working aggressively to get you the money you deserve.
What Is a Slip and Fall Case?
Slip and fall cases are a type of premises liability case. If you fall on someone else’s property due to poor maintenance or dangerous construction, a number of parties may be held responsible for your resulting injuries. Wet floor cases are one of the most common types of slip and fall cases. However, other cases can result from crooked or broken stairs, cracked or uneven sidewalks, uneven lawns, or insufficient security.
Who May Be Held Responsible?
In premises liability cases, your personal injury attorney will typically argue that one of two parties is responsible: the property owner or the business owner. Property owners are accountable for maintaining the structure of the property, while business owners are responsible for any dangerous conditions that may arise during the course of normal business operation. For example, if you slipped in a puddle left by a spilled gallon of milk at the supermarket, the store owner might be held responsible. On the other hand, if you fell in a puddle left by a leaking pipe, the property owner might be liable for your damages. If the business owner knew about the pipe and failed to alert the property owner, both parties might be held responsible. Often, employees cause dangerous spills and fail to clean them up properly. Though it would seem that the individual employees could share the blame, this is not the case. Typically, business owners have an automatic legal agreement to take on responsibility for their employees’ actions.
Proving Liability
To prove liability in a slip and fall case involving a wet floor, your attorney must prove one of three things:
- The spill was caused by poorly maintained property or by an employee.
- The spill was caused by a third party. However, the business owners or employees did not properly clean up and warn patrons about the spill.
- The spill was caused by a third party, and the business owners and employees should have known about it but were oblivious.
Proving liability in a slip and fall case involving a wet floor can be quite challenging because, by nature, the evidence is transitory. As soon as the puddle dries up, all tangible evidence is gone. For this reason, it is important to contact local slip and fall attorneys as soon as possible after your accident. They can interview any witnesses and look for other evidence in your favor, such as a defective pipe or shards of glass from a broken jar.
Contact Us
Despite the difficulty of premises liability cases, the attorneys at Chanfrau & Chanfrau have the necessary experience for such claims. Schedule your free consultation today and find out if you may be eligible to collect damages for your injury.