Personal Injury While Shopping in Southwest Florida
Retailers should do their best to make your shopping experience the safest it can be – especially so customers avoid personal injury while shopping. The retail industry in the United States is incredibly large, and growing. According to the CDC, over 5 million Americans are employed through retail stores. Florida is one of the busiest shopping states with 26% of our employment coming from the retail market. Unfortunately, an industry so vast is not without misconduct. Negligence on the part of the store can sometimes lead to personal injury.
Types of Florida Retail Store Accidents
The most common types of accidents in retail establishments can be avoided if the store takes the steps to create a safe environment. The first common injury category is slip and fall, usually as a result of wet floors, spills, poor lighting, or walkway obstructions. Slip and falls can also occur in an establishment’s parking lot due to poor road conditions or standing water. Injuries to a person not resulting from a slip or fall but still due to adverse conditions in the store such as falling items, low signs, and items out of reach are also common. Finally, faulty shopping equipment such as shopping carts and baskets can result in customer injury.
Sometimes injuries are not a result of the day to day conditions of the store, but due to overcrowding during the busy shopping season, such as Black Friday. If the store fails to manage crowd control, leading to a mêlée, injuries can occur.
If you sustain an injury while shopping, the store may be liable if you feel they were aware of the conditions that lead to the accident, or even if you feel as though they should have been aware. If you are injured while shopping, and you feel it was the fault of the store, it is important to document the conditions of the accident with photos and witnesses and to seek legal assistance.
Who to Call If You Sustain Personal Injury While Shopping in Southwest Florida
If you or someone you love has been injured while shopping, it is important to seek legal counsel. SWFL attorneys at Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz have over 50 years of legal experience in dealing with personal injuries. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
