If you slipped and fell in a retail or grocery store in the Melbourne, Florida area, let us at O’Neal Injury Law, help you out. There are a number of legal theories, under which you may be entitled to recovery. What’s more, depending on the extent and type of your injuries and the foreseeability thereof, you may be entitled to additional damages. Here is what you need to know.
Stores have a duty to you
Any business that extends an invitation to its customers to enter the premises has a duty to keep those premises safe. This duty means that the owner of the business is responsible for keeping the store in such a condition as to minimize the chances that a customer could suffer harm.
In addition to having a responsibility to repair obvious or hidden hazards, the store is also required to provide reasonable notices of dangerous conditions. This could be as simple as a “wet floor” sign placed in an area where an employee is mopping, or it could extend to a requirement that the store cordon off a dangerous area if a simple warning will not suffice.
Stores can be responsible for the actions of their employees
Even if a store owner was not aware of a hazard, if an employee of the store knew (or should have known) about the same, the store owner can still be held liable under an agency theory. Simply put, an employer is responsible for the acts of an employee when those acts were carried out in the normal and foreseeable scope of the employee’s duties.
This means that if an employee made a poor choice that directly led to your injury, the business can be held liable for that choice. While a complete exploration of the scope of employer-employee liability theories is beyond the scope of this post, keep in mind that you may have a claim against the business for the actions of the employees.
Get help today!
At O’Neil Injury Law, we know what it takes to prosecute and win a case. We have significant experience in representing people who suffered harm as a result of the negligent actions (or inactions) of others. We are here to help you, so give us a call (or send us an email) and set up an appointment today.