A quick trip to the Giant Food store in Baltimore, MD can easily turn into a huge ordeal if you slip and fall while shopping. Contact our Baltimore office at (410) 837-2144 to speak with an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer at WGK Personal Injury Lawyers.
You have the right to expect that the store is taking steps to keep you safe. When the store neglects that duty, slip and fall accident victims have the right to fair compensation. With over 80 years of combined experience, we know what it takes to get you the money you need to put the accident behind you. If you need help after an accident, call a Baltimore Giant slip and fall accident lawyer for a free consultation today.
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How a Baltimore Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Can Help With Your Claim Against Giant Stores
Slip and fall accidents sometimes seem to have a bad reputation. Realistically, slip and fall accident injuries can be extremely serious–and some can even cause permanent complications. If the store owner’s negligence caused your accident, you should be able to recover compensation, right?
Yes. Just like in any car accident case, you have the right to compensation for expenses related to the injury.
However, while this is true, it can be hard to prove that the store owner was responsible for your accident. Say you slip on a puddle of water in the cereal aisle and hurt your back. As soon as the manager finds out, someone will rush to dry the puddle–so how do you prove you didn’t fall over your own two feet?
That’s where a skilled and experienced slip and fall accident lawyer can help. When you call WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, our Baltimore personal injury attorneys will:
- Immediately request copies of any video surveillance footage of the accident scene
- Visit and document the accident scene
- Consult with accident reconstruction specialists to get expert testimony about what caused your fall
- Obtain the store’s safety records, as well as policies and procedures Giant has in place to prevent falls
- Obtain copies of the store’s history of inspecting for dangers
- Fight back when the insurance company tries to blame you for the accident
If you’re hurt in a slip and fall accident, it can be valuable to document the scene by taking photos immediately. In many cases, that’s not realistic–after all, you’ve just been hurt. Calling an experienced accident lawyer quickly is the next best way to preserve your right to compensation.
When Can a Store Owner Be Held Liable for a Slip and Fall Accident?
Giant store owners can be held financially responsible for slip and fall accidents under a legal theory called “premises liability.” When you enter a Giant store’s property, you become an “invitee.” Invitee is a legal term that means you’re there to the benefit of the store owner, whether as a customer, repair person or otherwise.
When it comes to invitees, Giant store owners–via their management team and employees–generally have a duty to:
- Keep the property reasonably safe for others
- Fix any dangerous conditions that the store either knew about, or reasonably should have known about
- Place warning signs that are adequate to let others know about the danger (until it can be fixed)
- Conduct reasonable inspections designed to identify any hazardous conditions
The Giant store itself should have policies and procedures in place designed to find anything that could hurt people in the store. That might mean making someone responsible for routinely checking the aisles for spills or obstacles.
It’s important to know that the store owner isn’t responsible for every single accident. They are only required to do what’s reasonable to keep you safe. It’s up to your lawyer to prove:
- The store owner was careless (in other words, breached a duty of care to keep the property safe)
- The careless acts or omissions were not reasonable
- The acts or omissions in question caused your injury
- You suffered damages as a result
In other words, we have to prove the store owner was negligent. While proving negligence can be complex, we have the experience and resources you need in your corner.
How Do Grocery Store Slip and Fall Accidents Happen?
Giant store slip and fall accidents are often caused by:
- Lack of warning signs around freshly mopped floors
- Spilled liquids on already slick floors
- Cracked, damaged pavement leading into the supermarket
- Potholes in the Giant parking lot
- Uneven rugs
- Obstacles in store aisles
- Inadequate lighting
- Uncleared snow and ice
It’s up to your legal team to get the evidence necessary to prove that your accident was caused by something the store could have prevented.
At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, our Baltimore slip and fall accident lawyers are always here to jump in and find out what happened. Your first consultation is free, so call us today to discuss options in your case.
Slip and Fall Accident Victims Can Suffer Serious Injuries
You might be surprised at the severity of the injuries you sustained in a simple slip and fall accident while out shopping. Even a relatively minor injury can cause serious consequences–time away from work and sky-high medical bills immediately come to mind.
In fact, falls are the most common cause of brain injuries–and according to CDC data, about 95% of hip fractures are sustained in falls.
Common examples of slip and fall accident injuries include:
- Brain injuries, including concussions
- Back injuries
- Wrist and arm injuries
- Knee, hip and shoulder injuries
- Injuries to the pelvis
- Spinal cord injuries, including herniated discs and fractured vertebrae
- Broken bones
- Head and neck injuries
- Serious bruising
- Broken ribs
- Paralysis
- Wrongful death in the most severe cases
Certain shoppers are more prone to serious injury than others in a slip and fall. You still have the right to fair compensation when the store owner neglected to fix the problem.
If you were hurt and want to explore your options, call our law offices for a free consultation today.
Time is Limited to File a Claim Against Giant
Premises liability law, which governs slip and fall accidents, is a type of personal injury law. Maryland law only gives you three years to file a lawsuit to hold property owners accountable for negligence–or you lose your right to compensation.
To protect your right to compensation after a fall, you should notify someone in management at the Giant store as soon as possible. They might ask you to fill out an accident report. Make sure you get a copy of that report.
After you have received medical care, call our personal injury lawyers at WGK Personal Injury Lawyers. Even if the store manager seems cooperative, time really is valuable in slip and fall accident cases–and we should get to work immediately despite the three-year statute of limitations.
Baltimore Shared Fault Rules Could Impact Your Right to Damages
Maryland has a relatively unusual law when it comes to shared responsibility. In most states, you can recover damages if you’re only partly to blame for the accident. For example, if you’re 10% at fault, you’re only responsible for 10% of the damages–you can recover the remaining 90% for the person who was mostly to blame.
Under Maryland’s contributory negligence law, you lose your right to compensation if you’re even 1% to blame for the slip and fall.
Not surprisingly, this law is commonly used by insurance companies trying to avoid paying fair compensation. They might claim you were responsible because:
- You were being careless, or you would have seen the danger and moved around it
- You knew that there was a hazard
- Your injury was preexisting
Our lawyers have been doing this for a long time. We know how to fight back against these insurance tactics. We work hard to build an evidence-based claim for compensation that’s strong enough to hold up in court.
How Much is My Giant Slip and Fall Accident Case Worth?
Many people think that a slip and fall at the local Giant wouldn’t give them the right to significant compensation. Under Maryland personal injury law, however, you have the right to be reimbursed for the full cost of your injury. These damages, which include medical bills and lost wages, are called economic damages.
You can also get compensation to make up for the inconvenience that the store’s negligence caused in slip and fall cases.
At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, our lawyers work to get the most compensation possible for our injured clients. Depending upon your slip and fall injuries, this might include money for:
- Medical bills
- Future medical care
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- Medical devices, like a walker or crutches
- In-home assistance
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Don’t let the negligent Giant store get away with their carelessness. If you were hurt, you have the right to hold them accountable. Call our Baltimore law firm to discuss your case with an experienced slip and fall accident lawyer today.
Don’t Hesitate to Call a Baltimore Giant Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer for Help Today
At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, our personal injury attorneys are available to review your case and explain your legal rights. We are ready to put our 100-plus years of experience handling personal injury cases to work for you.
If you were hurt while at Giant, call an experienced Baltimore Giant slip and fall accident lawyer today. Your first consultation is 100% free.
