Retail Store Injury Lawyers in Eatontown, NJ
A retail store located in Monmouth County, New Jersey has a specific duty to ensure that it’s customers and shoppers are safe when they are inside of the retail store. If the retail store fails to do this, and someone is injured as a result, the retail store can be held responsible for the harm. If you have been injured while shopping in a Monmouth County retail store or mall, contact our experienced attorneys for a free consultation. Learn your rights to pursue compensation by calling (732) 303-7857 now. We are Available 24/7.
Potential Hazards in a Monmouth County Retail Stores
There are innumerable examples of potential hazards that may lead to retail store accidents. Some of the hazards in a retail store include slippery and/or dangerous flooring, as well as falling objects. A retail store must ensure that they prevent all foreseeable hazards. A hazard is generally considered foreseeable if it is known to the retail store or if it is a hazard that is generally known in the industry.
One clear example of a potential foreseeable hazard would be the accumulation of snow and ice on the sidewalks or parking lot of the retail store. Retail stores recognize that ice can be dangerous and can cause accidents and therefore, have a clear duty to take steps to prevent the accumulation of snow and ice in Monmouth County. Say you are going to the grocery store in January. You park your car in the parking lot, but you slip on a dangerous stretch of ice outside the marked entrance to the store when trying to enter. This may mean you have the basis of a lawsuit.
As another example, say you’re visiting a bookstore, shopping mall, or other establishment that has multiple floors, and you must take a staircase up to the second floor to continue shopping. You place your hand on the railing as you’re walking up or down, the banister comes loose, and you fall and injure yourself. You may have an actionable retail store injury claim. Yet another example of a foreseeable hazard is an object in an area where individuals routinely walk. It is foreseeable that a tripping hazard in an area where an individual would walk could cause injury and it is therefore important for a retail store to prevent such hazards from occurring.
Who is Liable for Retail Store Accident Injuries?
Under New Jersey premises liability law, it is the owner who is responsible for the management and prevention on unsafe conditions of their property. Thus, if you have been injured in a retail store accident due to a dangerous condition on the premises, you may have grounds for a lawsuit against the property owner. If you can establish that the retail store’s owner failed to keep their premises reasonably safe from dangerous conditions, and their failure to keep their store safe caused your injury, you will be entitled to a financial recovery.
Compensation for retail store accident injuries is known as damages, which come in the form of economic and non-economic, although both are calculated in monetary terms. A successful verdict or settlement in a retail store accident case may encompass money for your financial losses due to missed work, medical bills, and even permanent disability. Equally important are pain and suffering damages for the undue harm you were forced to bear due to no fault of your own. An experienced attorney can examine the unique facts of your accident in a store and devise the best claim to prove liability.
I Got Hurt in a Retail Store, What Should I do?
If you have suffered injury in a retail store accident, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention. Then, if you are able, you should also take photographs of the dangerous condition that caused your accident – the wet floor, the icy sidewalk, the damaged railing, etc. If anyone else saw you injure yourself, may consider asking them for their contact information as a potential witness. This can be especially helpful if they tell you that they noticed other people having problems with the dangerous area or if they heard people complaining to store management about the problem. You should save any medical bills or other receipts related to the accident, and you should also make a note of any time you have had to miss from work as a result of the retail store accident. Testimony from witnesses about the accident, photographs of the dangerous conditions, and evidence of repeated complaints regarding the dangerous conditions can help bolster your case.
Proving a personal injury case against a retail store may include the use of fact and or/expert witnesses. Pursuant to the New Jersey rules of civil procedure, each party is entitled to take depositions. Depositions are question and answer sessions in which either side is able to question witnesses about what they knew and when they knew it. In a personal injury action against a retail store, it may be important to take the deposition of the retail store employees or managers to determine their knowledge of the hazard and any actions they took to prevent the hazard from occurring.
Obviously, the specific facts and circumstances of each individual case will determine if and when depositions should be taken. Your best course of action is to have your case evaluated by a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. Fortunately, we handle retail accident cases on behalf of clients in Eatontown, Howell, Freehold, Ocean Twp, Jackson, Shrewsbury, Long Branch, Tinton Falls, and surrounding communities.
Discuss Your Shopping Injury Case with a Monmouth County Retail Store Accident Lawyer
If you or someone you know would like to speak to one of our Monmouth County retail store accident attorneys, call our office or click on the chat tab. One of our Monmouth County slip and fall attorneys will take the time to discuss the specific facts and circumstances of your retail store accident case. If we represent you, we will do so on a contingency basis which means that you will only pay a legal fee if we successfully recover on your behalf. Call us today. We can help.
