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When shopping for clothing, household goods, groceries, etc. or frequenting restaurants, most people do not expect to encounter any dangerous situations; but they often do. Slip and fall and other injuries account for many personal injury claims as the result of accidents at stores and restaurants.

“We, at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.,” said Fort Myers Accident Attorney, Randall Spivey, “have handled many cases where the store, restaurant or other business was responsible. Following are just three of them:

• A Naples, FL woman was injured when she suffered a brain injury and broken hip when falling because she was knocked down by a broken door. 

• An accident victim suffered a broken arm when falling on a greasy and slippery restaurant floor in Punta Gorda, FL. 

• A Fort Myers woman tripped and fell on an improperly placed bicycle rack when walking out of a grocery store.” 

Many accidents are slip and fall accidents which are the result of the property owner’s negligence in not remedying a dangerous condition and/or training employees how to do their jobs to insure visitors’ safety. 

In 2015, a man was shopping in the refrigerated meat section of the Walmart Supercenter on US Highway 19 North in Pinellas County, FL when he tripped on some plastic. Employees of the Walmart Supercenter had removed the plastic from a pallet of stock and left it in the middle of the floor near where the victim was shopping causing him to trip and hurt his knee. 

Many dangerous conditions, according to FindLaw, lead to customer/visitor injuries such as: 

Slip and fall - as a result of wet floors, torn carpets, poorly lit lighting, and escalator malfunctions. 

Head and body injuries - from falling objects, retail displays, out-of-reach objects, or other mishaps. 

Shopping cart injuries - falls as a result of a cart tipping over. 

Overcrowding injuries - as a result of over-crowding hazards, i.e. trampling. 

Parking lot injuries - as a result of a cracked or improperly designed parking lot, or failure to remove any dangerous object. 

In a CDC (Centers for Disease Control) report titled Workplace Solutions, it recommends the following for workplace housekeeping: 

• Clean floors and work surfaces as soon as they become wet.
• Inspect refrigerated and freezer cases for water leakage onto the floor surfaces; place absorbent strips and water-absorbent mats on the floor until the unit is repaired.
• Place warning signs in wet floor areas and remove them promptly when the floor is clean and dry.
• Use no-skid waxes in slippery areas, and use soap that does not leave slippery residue.
• During wet or oily processes, maintain drainage and pro­vide false floors, platforms, or nonslip mats. (False floors are elevated floors usually 2 to 4 inches above the struc­tural floor designed to provide a surface for safe transit.)
• Clean only one side of a passageway at a time to allow room for passing.
• Keep passageways clear at all times, and mark permanent aisles and passageways.
• For purposes of one-time use, tape or anchor electrical cords to floors if they cross walkways. 

If injured while shopping or in a restaurant, it is important to first get medical treatment; then contact an experienced personal injury attorney as quickly as possible. Taking pictures of the immediate area and getting the names and contact information for any witnesses should also be done while still at the accident scene, if possible. 

“Contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., if you or a loved one is injured because of the negligence of another,” said Attorney Spivey.

Fort Myers Slip & Fall Attorney,  Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.