Customer Sues After Trip And Fall Accident At Best Buy
Holiday shopping is equal parts exhilarating and annoying; the glittering decorations, the atmosphere of excitement, and the joy of buying gifts for others make it worthwhile, but the long lines, the difficulty of finding parking spaces, and the aggressive shoppers make you glad that the holiday season only lasts a short time and you don’t have to go through it again until next year. The annoyances are usually mild enough, though, that by Black Friday the next year, you are ready to do it all again. If you get seriously injured while shopping, though, that is a different story; a severe injury can take the fun out of once-enjoyable events for years to come. A Jacksonville and Lake City slip and fall accident lawyer can help you if a preventable accident at a shopping mall wrecked your finances and altered the course of your life.
Plaintiff Alleges That Poorly Maintained Floors Were the Cause of Her Injury
January is supposed to be the most peaceful month for shopping; neither holiday gift exchanges nor tax refund windfalls create a sense of urgency. It did not turn out that way for Janet Hall, though. She went shopping at the Best Buy in Boca Raton on January 15, 2019. The store has metal dividers on the floor separating the store’s various locations. The divider around the perimeter of the appliance department had come loose, however, and Hall tripped over it and fell as she tried to enter the appliance department.
Her lawsuit did not describe her injuries in detail, but it did say that they caused her physical and emotional pain. One of the affected body parts was her arm, where the Best Buy accident aggravated an old injury. Hall sued Best Buy, claiming that the company’s failure to maintain the dividers on the floor amounted to negligence. She argued that the store employees should have inspected the dividers, and given that the divider outside the appliance department was loose, they should have repaired it. If they were unable to repair it promptly, they should have placed a sign warning customers about it.
The outcome of the case was not made public. Likewise, the complaint indicated that Hall was seeking more than $15,000 in damages, but it did not give an exact amount that she was seeking. Most personal injury lawsuits, including those related to slip and fall or trip and fall accidents in retail stores, settle without going to trial. Best Buy could have argued that Hall’s arm pain was due more to her pre-existing injury than to the slip and fall accident, but this may not have completely prevented her from recovering damages.
Contact Douglas & Douglas About Slip and Fall Accident Cases
A premises liability lawyer can help you recover damages if you were injured in a slip and fall accident at a big box retail store or other place of business. Contact Douglas & Douglas for help with your case.
Resource:
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