When you go shopping, typically you expect to be able to do so safely. But when there are dangerous conditions in the store, things can turn ugly quickly. If you have been injured by a slip and fall accident in a shop, it is important to know if the incident is grounds for a premises liability case.
In order for a premises liability case to be successful, you must be able to prove fault. There are certain criteria that have been set out to do so. While there are nuances to every case, these provide a good general set of guidelines.
One condition is that the shop owner or employees must have created the hazard. This could be a tear in the carpet, a spilled drink or anything else that could cause someone to become injured. Or, similarly, if the store owner knew about the hazard and did nothing to remedy it, they could be responsible. This would be something like not fixing a broken shelf or, to use the same example as before, not mopping up a spill. Putting up a “Wet Floor” sign constitutes as fixing the situation.
The final criterion, and perhaps the most common, is the shop owner not knowing there was a hazard, even though a “reasonable person” would have. This can be more difficult to prove, but really falls under common sense. For instance, if a large puddle is right in front of the register, it seems pretty obvious that this dangerous condition should have been taken care of.
Slip and fall accidents can become a hassle to deal with, especially when trying to claim compensation. Anyone who has suffered from this kind of injury in Chicago may want to contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible.