Lawyer for a Slip and Fall at Whole Foods
Injuries a shopper sustains in a supermarket slip and fall can inflict severe pain and financial difficulty. If a dangerous condition at a store contributes to the cause of a harmful fall, the shopper might have a claim for compensation to make against the business’s owner or operator.
If you or someone you love suffered injuries in a preventable fall in a Whole Foods supermarket, an experienced slip and fall lawyer from The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers can help you explore your legal rights. We have a long track record of success in slip and fall cases. Let us assist you in evaluating your options and choosing a path forward.
Our Whole Foods Slip and Fall Team
The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers is an award winning personal injury law firm primarily serving clients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida. Our team of experienced trial lawyers fights to secure top-dollar compensation for people who suffer injuries in preventable accidents. Our track record of success includes numerous multi-million dollar settlements and jury verdicts on behalf of injured clients.
Slip and fall cases account for a significant part of our law practice. We understand the pain, disruption, and expense a preventable fall at a Whole Foods can pile onto your life. No matter how large the supermarket chain or how severe your injuries, we have the resources and know-how to get you the money you need to pay your bills, recover your health, and get back to living your life.
How Slip and Fall Injuries Can Happen at Whole Foods
Supermarkets shouldn’t be dangerous places to visit, but they can be. Over our years of representing injured clients at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we have seen numerous examples of hazards at grocery stores that put unsuspecting shoppers at risk of potentially severe injury.
Slick Floors
Slippery areas are a constant menace to shoppers at supermarkets.
Floors can become slick and dangerous in various ways, such as when:
- Customers track rain, snow, sand, or gravel in from outside;
- Items on shelves fall or spill, coating the floor with slippery liquids or debris;
- Store staff mops or waxes floors and fails to warn patrons;
- Condensed water from refrigerator units leaks onto the floor.
It’s up to Whole Foods to fix, prevent, or keep customers away from dangerously slippery floors. At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we know how to hold them accountable if they fail to do so.
Indoor Trip Hazards
Cracked, pitted, or warped floors create trip hazards for supermarket customers. Shoppers frequently have their gaze fixed on shelves instead of where they step. Any imperfection in a floor surface can trip them up and lead to a harmful fall.
The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers can take quick action to identify and preserve evidence of dangerous spots on supermarket floors, to make sure operators compensate injured customers who stumble and fall.
Outdoor Trip Hazards
Cracks, potholes, and other damage to paved parking lots and walkways can also trip up a supermarket shopper and lead to a damaging fall. No one expects outdoor surfaces to be flawless, but supermarkets must not allow them to become unreasonably dangerous for people walking into a store, either.
At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we know how to demonstrate to insurance companies, judges, and juries when a parking lot or walkway has deteriorated so badly that a supermarket should pay damages to a patron who fell there.
Slippery Sidewalks
It’s not just cracks and blemishes on sidewalks that pose dangers to supermarket customers, either. Rain, snow, and ice can make sidewalks dangerously slippery, too. Whole Foods must take reasonable steps to keep walkways clear and safe for their patrons.
The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers works to hold stores responsible for ignoring obviously slick conditions on sidewalks their customers must use to enter or exit their premises.
Hazardous Steps
If shoppers must climb or descend steps at a Whole Foods, the store owner has an obligation to make sure they’re safe for all patrons.
Falls can result from unsafe conditions like:
- Missing or broken railings;
- Steps lacking anti-slip treads;
- Insufficient warnings of level changes or steps down;
- Uneven spacing between steps.
Supermarket patrons frequently blame themselves for taking a tumble on steps. But at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we know that those falls often result from hazardous conditions the store operators should have fixed, and we have the skill and know-how to prove it.
Inadequate Lighting
A dimly lit parking lot or aisle is inherently dangerous for Whole Foods customers. After all, you cannot avoid slipping or tripping if it’s too dark to see where you’re stopping. Store owners have a duty to ensure adequate lighting on their premises. The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers can hold them accountable if they instead put shoppers in danger.
What Are Some Common Whole Foods Slip and Fall Injuries?
People tend to dismiss falls as minor incidents, but that’s frequently not the case. Falls constitute a leading cause of accidental injury in the United States for all age groups. And fall-related injuries are a significant cause of death in adults over age 65, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Falls at Whole Foods can cause severe injuries. Grocery stores tend to have hard, unforgiving floors. The falls people take there frequently involve an impact to the head, hip, or tailbone.
Common—and potentially catastrophic—Whole Foods slip and fall injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussions;
- Spinal cord injury (SCI) and damage to the spinal column (discs and vertebrae);
- Bone fractures, especially broken hips, arms, and wrists;
- Orthopedic injuries like ACL tears or shoulder sprains;
- Facial trauma, including damage to the orbital bone.
Fall injuries like the ones above can also lead to significant long-term health problems, especially in older adults. Broken hips frequently trigger a cascade of medical complications for senior citizens, for example.
At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we pursue compensation not just for the injuries you sustained in a fall at a supermarket, but also for the difficulties you will likely encounter in the future because of them. Contact us today to learn more.
Potential Compensation for a Whole Foods Slip and Fall Injury
Victims of supermarket slip and fall injuries generally have the right to seek compensation from any party at fault for causing the hazard that led to their fall. Every slip and fall case we take at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers has its own distinct factors that can affect the types and amounts of damages our client might receive.
But our team can frequently secure payment for an injured fall victim’s:
- Past and future medical expenses in treating a fall-related injury and any subsequent health complications;
- Past and future costs for goods and services associated with adapting to or living with a fall-related injury;
- Lost wages from missing work while healing from a fall injury;
- Lost future earnings, if a fall injury keeps someone out of work long-term;
- Physical pain and discomfort;
- Emotional suffering and other mental health difficulties;
- Inconvenience and disruption of daily life;
- Loss of enjoyment of life and interference with personal relationships.
In some cases, our team can also secure additional, punitive damages in cases where a supermarket operator engaged in extreme or intentional misconduct. To find out more about the damages you might have the right to claim for injuries you sustained in a fall at a Whole Foods supermarket, contact us today.
Wrongful Death Damages
In the tragic event a fall at a supermarket causes fatal injuries, the victim’s surviving spouse, partner, or family member generally has the right to seek damages for their loss.
The specific types of compensation recoverable in a wrongful death lawsuit vary based on state law, but may include payment for:
- Loss of the victim’s income or financial support;
- Loss of the victim’s services;
- Loss of the victim’s companionship, consortium, guidance, or society;
- The victim’s pain and suffering;
- The surviving spouse, partner, or family member’s pain and suffering;
- The victim’s pre-death medical expenses;
- Funeral and burial expenses;
Wrongful death cases can also lead to punitive damages awards in some cases. The team at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers invites you to contact us to learn about your rights if your loved one died as a result of fall-related injuries sustained at a Whole Foods market.
How Our Team Can Help With a Whole Foods Slip and Fall Claim
The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers is a full-service personal injury law firm. We have the personnel, resources, and know-how to tackle any supermarket slip and fall case, no matter how large or well-funded the supermarket chain involved.
Our team can:
- Evaluate your claim to establish the amount of damages you have the right to demand;
- Advise you about critical decisions that may affect your rights;
- Answer your questions promptly and in plain English;
- Collect and preserve evidence to prove your slip and fall claim;
- Handle all communications with insurance companies on your behalf;
- File lawsuits and submit insurance claims on your behalf;
- Negotiate with defense lawyers and insurance companies to achieve a favorable settlement if possible;
- Present your case in a courtroom trial;
- Collect and disburse the money owed to you for your losses.
At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we also recognize that our clients frequently face financial strain because of their injuries. That’s why we represent our slip and fall clients on a contingent fee basis. That means we do not charge upfront fees or bill by the hour for our services. We only collect a fee if we get results for our client.
Tips for Protecting Your Rights to Compensation
The steps you take in the wake of falling and getting hurt at a supermarket can have a significant impact on your rights. Following the tips below can often protect your interests and put you in a position to seek the compensation you need to pay your bills and move forward after an injury.
Tell Someone About Your Fall
Try to notify the supermarket immediately of your fall and the injury you suffered. This serves at least two key purposes. It puts the store on notice that you may have a claim and that they should preserve evidence like security camera footage. And it protects you against the supermarket disputing that your injury happened on their premises.
Get Medical Care
Get a checkup immediately after falling at any supermarket, even if you think you only suffered bumps and bruises. You cannot always know whether the aches and pains you feel are normal, or a sign of a severe injury. Going to the doctor ensures you receive appropriate treatment. It also protects you legally by generating medical records that a lawyer can use as evidence of your injuries and damages.
Do Not Agree to a Quick Settlement Offer
If the supermarket recognizes its fault for your fall-related injury, its insurance company may contact you to offer a quick settlement of your potential claim. Tempting as it might be to say yes, do not agree to this offer and don’t sign any documents the insurance company sends you.
Offers to settle a slip and fall claim made directly to fall victims like you rarely pay enough to cover your expenses. It’s virtually always safer and more beneficial to leave all discussions about a settlement to an attorney who represents your interests and knows how to secure maximum payments from insurance companies.
Contact an Knowledgeable Supermarket Slip and Fall Lawyer Today
If you or someone you love suffered injuries in a fall at a Whole Foods market, do not wait to seek skilled legal help. You may have only a limited amount of time to take action to demand payment for your losses. Waiting too long could put your valuable rights at risk.
The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers has years of experience representing victims of Whole Foods slip and falls. We understand the pain and difficulty a fall can cause, and we know how to advocate for your rights to secure you the maximum compensation available. For a free case evaluation about your options after a fall at a Whole Foods, contact us online or call us today at (215) 825-5183.