Massachusetts Slips And Falls In Stores
Massachusetts slips and falls in stores happen all the time. Many of my Massachusetts slip and fall clients have the misfortune of falling while shopping. Whether it be at the local coffee shop, or while shopping for groceries, or shopping for clothes, people are injured much too often at stores. It is shocking how common these accidents occur. Oftentimes, store owners fail to make sure their stores are reasonably safe for customers. That is what typically causes these accidents. This branch of law is called premises liability.
It is important to keep in mind however that not ever fall (and resulting injuries) are the legal fault of the respective store. Rather, before the store can be held liable for your injuries, it must be shown the store had notice of the condition you claim caused your injuries.
Massachusetts slips and falls in stores revolve around this issue when trying to establish liability. Notice can be shown by a number of ways, but it must be proven before liability can attach.
For example, suppose you slip and fall in the grocery store while shopping for groceries. You claim that it was water on the floor that caused you to fall. Further suppose the water had only been on the floor for thirty seconds before your fall. Showing notice on the part of the store would be tough under these facts, because it had such little time to discover the water on the floor.
However, if it can be shown the water had been on the aisle floor for more than five minutes, and had become dirty from people walking through it, then notice would be easier to prove. That is because the property owner knew, or should have known, about the water on the floor and did nothing about it.
Each case is unique with different facts. However, the one constant, generally, when dealing with falls in retail stores is that notice of the condition that caused you to fall must be proven by you, or your attorney, before the store can he held liable for your injuries.
As a Massachusetts slip and fall lawyer, I can help if you were slipped and fell at a store in Massachusetts. Call us today for your free consultation.