What Makes a Store Liable?

Slip and fall accidents happen to many people. When this happens in your home you have no one to blame but yourself. But what happens when it occurs in or near a store, and who’s responsible for your injuries then?

Experiencing a slip and fall accident at home is often less detrimental than one outside of your home. After all, your home has carpeted or wooden floors. Stores, restaurants, boutiques, and sidewalks are usually concrete, carpet covered concrete or hard tile. Slipping and falling on this type of flooring can result in a severe neck or back injury or even a fractured bone in some cases.

Now for the question of who’s responsible and for how long? If you have an accident in a store they are only liable if the store was negligent. This means that if you were clumsy, or simply weren’t paying attention to what you were doing, the store is not responsible. If the store employees have left objects where they shouldn’t be, failed to keep floors cleaned, or generally failed to keep the store aisles clear, then, as a general rule, the fault is theirs.