You may not realize that even something as simple as shopping for a birthday present can be the beginning of a long litigation process and even medical attention. Each year, thousands of personal injuries are caused by shopping injuries in our country. Massachusetts residents are of course included in this, which is why it is important to be aware of safety hazards when shopping around, as many things could cause injury in a store. Even something as seemingly insignificant as a small water spill can cause you to slip and bang your head, and that could cause serious injuries.
For more information, see our 3 Tips for Safe Holiday Shopping.
While spilled water may be the most commonly thought of shopping injury, there are plenty of other injuries that one could suffer in a shopping area. This article lists many of them, such as shopping cart injuries or overcrowding injuries. Fortunately, there are laws in place that can release you from certain monetary responsibility after injuries that are caused by someone else’s negligence, and this includes many shops and the property conditions therein.
An example of a dangerous property condition would be shopping carts that are not kept in proper, safe working conditions. Obviously, it is not the shop owner’s fault if someone else runs into you with a cart, but if that cart had a loose wheel that caused its user to lose control and crash into you, then the shopkeeper may be liable.
Of course, store owners will likely do all that they can to defend themselves from a personal injury claim. This is often not only to avoid paying for the injuries but also to avoid bad publicity and being viewed as a dangerous property by other potential customers. Therefore, legal representation could benefit you, if you want to file a personal injury claim against a store owner.
