Every business owner must ensure their property is safe for visitors. In grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, and other venues, employees must place visible warning signs when the floors are wet. This serves as a protective measure that prevents guests from slipping on a freshly mopped floor or when there is a spill that is awaiting cleaning.
If you slipped and fell on a wet floor and there was no signage to warn you of this danger, the property owner may be liable for your injuries.
Why Must Business Owners Use Wet Floor Signs?
Wet floor warning signs protect customers and business owners alike. Water on the floor can make it slippery, which may result in accidents. Some of these accidents can lead to serious injuries.
As an example, if a grocery store’s employee fails to use a wet floor sign to warn customers and it results in a customer becoming injured, the store may be held liable. This would mean that you could seek compensation for your medical bills and other expenses that resulted from this event.
Who Is Liable If You Slipped On A Wet Floor With No Warning Sign?
Restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, and other retail locations are common places where someone can slip and fall. If there is no visible warning of a spill and it causes an accident, then you may have a premises liability case.
A business owner owes you a duty of care to keep their property safe. If you are shopping for groceries, then you are an invitee who is protected by premises liability laws. Without a warning to prevent accidents, you could sustain massive medical bills for back, neck, or knee injuries, among others. You should not be stuck with bills when you had no indication of the danger.
It may seem simple to make this claim and get your medical bills covered by the business owner. However, these cases can be difficult to prove on your own, which is why it is advised that you first discuss your circumstances with a personal injury lawyer.
How Do You Hold A Property Owner Liable for Your Slip And Fall Injuries?
In order to hold a property owner responsible for the injuries you sustained on their property, you need to prove that they owed you a duty of care. If you are a customer at a grocery store, the owner of this store owes all invited visitors this duty.
Your attorney will need to prove that the owner did not uphold their duty, which resulted in the slip and fall accident that caused your injuries and damages. This will require proving the condition of the floor when you fell and proving how long it was wet without any warning. Additionally, you must show that either the business owner or an employee knew or should have known about the wet floor.
Since you are the injured person, the burden of proof is on you. However, since many people who slip and fall often wind up with serious injuries, you may not have had the chance to gather the evidence you need. Injuries are the main reasons why victims in these scenarios don’t collect evidence or file personal injury claims.
This means you may not have had the chance to take any photos of the wet floor, lack of signage, or anything else. You may not have spoken with any of the other customers or employees who might have seen what happened. You may also have left before getting a copy of the accident report that the store is required to fill out in these situations.
It is absolutely imperative that you contact a personal injury attorney to help you. They will be able to track down surveillance footage, the incident report, testimony from the paramedics who were called to the scene to treat your injuries, take witness statements, and get professional medical opinions from your doctors.
Remember, when you are trying to file a claim for your injuries, the business owner will have a legal team. They will be trying to negate your claim by saying you caused your own injuries or failed to notice obvious warnings. If there was no wet floor sign, you would not have any indication of the danger. Despite this, they will still try to reduce your payout. Make sure you have a lawyer who will stand up for your legal rights and fight the business entity.