Maryland Grocery Store Injury Lawyer
A Maryland grocery store injury lawyer can assist you if you are hurt at a grocery store. Shopping is a normal part of many Marylanders’ routine. You may stop by the supermarket a few times a week or perform one big haul on Sundays. Whatever your routine, you have a reasonable expectation of safety when you show up at the store. You should not have to face physical threats to your well-being. You may have a family to feed and a job to tend to. Unfortunately, accidents do happen. But when they occur due to the negligence of a grocery store, it is critical to speak to an experienced attorney at Gelb & Gelb immediately to discuss your options. You may be entitled to significant compensation for your injuries. However, this will depend on the effectiveness of your legal team and the facts of your case.
Injuries in grocery stores can arise from various hazards, such as wet floors, improperly stocked shelves, or faulty equipment. At Gelb & Gelb, our Maryland grocery store injury lawyers have handled countless cases covering each scenario. We know precisely what is needed to build a successful case and settle with the grocery store’s insurance company. Moreover, we know how the insurance companies operate. We have been handling Maryland personal injury cases since 1954. During the last 70 years, we have handled over 10,000 cases for clients. This experience with the insurance companies lends itself to knowing how to negotiate to maximize the value of your case. A newer injury firm in Maryland may initially struggle to accomplish this.
Our supermarket attorneys in Maryland are here to fight for you. Call our office today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
Types of Injuries Common in Grocery Stores
Our Maryland grocery store injury lawyers handle countless variations of injury types in supermarkets. Below, we address the three most common causes of injury. While there may be others, these are the most likely causally linked to the supermarket and establish liability.
Slip and Fall Accidents
The main culprits of slip and fall accidents in Maryland grocery stores include wet and slippery floors, uneven surfaces, and clutter or obstruction set up by grocery store employees, such as a pile of boxes or cleaning supplies. Each of these scenarios presents unique challenges at trial. Let’s start with a pile of boxes. In general, you have a duty not to be contributorily negligent in Maryland if you wish to recover compensation. However, if the boxes are not obvious to a reasonably prudent person focused on the shelves, you may still have a case. The precise placement of the pile of boxes is critical in this case.
Slippery Floor
The second scenario is the slippery floor. This is the most common type of injury in a grocery store. If you slip and fall at a grocery store, you should immediately speak to a Maryland grocery store injury lawyer. The question becomes whether the grocery store was negligent in warning of the slippery floor or cleaning it up. They will be liable for injuries related to the slippery floor if one of two things happened. First, if they were on notice of the slippery floor and failed to act in a reasonable time. If this is the case, we should be successful in our case. The second scenario is if the spill had been there for an unreasonably long period of time. If true, the supermarket has breached its duty by omission and is liable for your injury.
As Maryland grocery store injury lawyers, an uneven surface causing your fall is the least likely of the three causes of a slip and fall accident we discuss here. It may require expert testimony, which is more costly. However, poorly maintained grocery stores may not have fixed a fault in the floor. If this is the case, speak to an attorney immediately.
Falling Objects
A falling object may injure you if an employee negligently places an item on a shelf. Depending on the item, it may cause a serious brain injury. Of course, you will probably not be seriously injured if a cereal box falls on you. However, if a heavy can or glass bottle hits your head from several feet up, you may suffer considerable head trauma. A grocery store can be liable for this injury for one of at least two reasons. The first is the obvious reason. If a grocery store employee places the item on the shelf on the lip of the ledge, it may fall without any further action. The supermarket is liable if that happens and it strikes you on the head.
Secondly, even if another customer and not a grocery store employee places the item on the lip of the edge, the grocery store employees, acting as agents of the store, have a legal duty to inspect for hazardous conditions. In a grocery store, this includes these items.
Improperly Maintained Equipment
Improperly maintained equipment in a Maryland grocery store that may cause injury can include damaged or broken fixtures, defective shopping carts, or left-out tools and equipment. First, damaged or broken fixtures can include exposed metal or sharp edges on shelving units, freezers, or coolers. The defense team may argue that you are contributorily negligent in scraping this while shopping. However, our Maryland grocery store injury lawyers have experience defeating these defenses. It is unreasonable to expect a shopper to look out for sharp walls while shopping. A shopper’s eyes are focused on the food displays that are carefully curated to garner the attention of shoppers.
Furthermore, an overly sharp edge can cut skin and cause lacerations with even the slightest pressure. This is an unreasonably dangerous hazard, and it is negligent to leave out near shoppers and a grocery store should be held civilly responsible at trial if it causes an injury.
Additionally, automatic doors in a grocery store may cause injury. If this is due to improper maintenance, you may have a claim against the grocery store and the manufacturer of the doors, as well as any contractor responsible for servicing the doors. These doors move slowly enough that they typically do not cause significant injury, but it is something to look out for.
Steps to Take if Injured in a Grocery Store
- Seek medical attention
- Gather information and document the scene. Take pictures of the hazard, where your grocery store injury occurred within the store, and anything else you deem relevant. Consider taking a video of your experience reporting the incident, too. Gather witness information if available. Witness testimony can be critical evidence at trial.
- Report the incident. This will act as evidence that the accident occurred.
- Consult with a Maryland grocery store injury lawyer. We need to act fast to preserve any evidence.
Your Rights as a Grocery Store Injury Victim
You have a right to compensation for your injuries so long as we can establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the grocery store or an employee acting within the scope of his job working at the grocery store causes you injury. Our supermarket injury lawyers will work to maximize your compensation so you do not have to pay for any medical expenses related to your injury, and you are compensated for the pain and suffering you were forced to undergo. If you cannot work because of your injury, ensure your doctor excuses you, and we will include that in your claim. We will also consider whether you have a loss of future earning capacity, depending on the nature of your injury and the type of work you are doing.
Contacting a Maryland Grocery Store Injury Lawyer
Our Maryland grocery store injury lawyers are here to help you should you have a viable claim against a Maryland supermarket. Contact our office today for a free consultation at (202) 331-7227.