Common Causes Of Injuries On Retail Premises

Posted on: 4 October 2017

Accidental injuries sustained on retail premises are the responsibility of retail managers or premises owners. These parties have the responsibility of keeping their premises or shops safe for all visitors. Here are some of the common injuries in these places:

Infrastructure Malfunctions or Defects

Infrastructure malfunctions can cause serious accidents depending on where you were at the time of the accident. For example, you can easily get injured if an escalator suddenly accelerates while you are riding it. Other examples of infrastructural failures that can cause injuries include broken elevators, stuck elevators, malfunctioning revolving doors, and poorly designed staircases, among others.

The origin of the malfunction of defect determines who is responsible for your injuries. For example, injuries that can be traced back to poor maintenance are the responsibility of the managers while injuries that can be traced back to poor design is the responsibility of the designer or manufacturer.  

Carelessly Discarded Objects and Liquid Spill

Discarded water objects, banana peels, and repair tools and materials (such as hammers and nails) regularly cause slip and fall accidents. This is why retail managers are expected to keep their floors clean and free of debris at all times. The management will be responsible for your injuries if they left such objects on the floor for an unreasonably long time and did not warn shoppers about their danger. The same argument applies to liquid spills such as oil and water.

Falling Objects

Injuries from falling objects are also common in retail premises. Boxes that are stacked too high, objects left where they shouldn't be or items that are carelessly placed on the shelves can easily fall on shoppers. For example, a shopper can examine an item on sale and then carelessly return it to its shelf. In such a case, one of the things that will determine whether the retail managers are liable for the injury is how long the item had been in that dangerous position.

Criminal Acts

Lastly, criminals have also been known to cause injuries to shoppers in or around retail stores. Robberies in parking lots, attempted kidnappings, and assaults related to hate crimes are some of the criminal acts that lead to injuries in these places. The retail management will be responsible for the damages if the attack actually occurred on its premises, such as its parking lots.

If you have been injured in a retail store, you deserve to be compensated for your damages just like a person injured in any other accident. Consult a law firm like Radano & Lide to help you process the claim.

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