Restaurants, retail stores, and other business establishments in Orlando and throughout Florida owe their patrons a duty to keep their walkways free from hazardous conditions.  Most businesses are proactive, keeping their premises safe.  But even the most prudent shopkeeper can overlook spills and other hazardous conditions.  If you have been injured in a slip and fall, call the offices of Bryan W. Crews, your Orlando personal injury attorney.

As an invited guest, or patron of a business, you are owed a duty of reasonable care.  This is the legal standard by which hosts and shopkeepers are evaluated under the law.  When someone is injured on the property of another, the question is whether the host or shopkeeper exercised, caution, performed diligent inspections, or acted rationally.  The most common question in slip and fall cases is whether the host or shopkeeper should have been aware of the hazard, and how long they waited before remedying the hazard.

For example, spilled produce or leaking refrigerators in grocery stores that are left unattended as the result of infrequent inspections are often grounds for liability.  Worn or damaged flooring such as raised flooring, torn carpet, or cracked sidewalks that go unrepaired can result in serious injury to guests or patrons.  Residents in apartment complexes or other communities that rely on grounds crews for upkeep are owed the same degree of care.  Common areas and walkways that are left in disrepair may also create a dangerous condition.

In any event, and regardless of the type of hazard, establishing liability is generally proven the same way.  A slip and fall plaintiff must be able to show that the host or shopkeeper created the risk, knew or should have known the risk existed and was negligent in repairing it, and left the hazardous condition for an unreasonable amount of time.  Each case is different and Bryan W. Crews, your Orland personal injury attorney will gladly evaluate your case.

An important factor in slip and fall cases is whether the property owner had actual knowledge of the dangerous condition.  The landowner may have received prior complaints about the dangerous condition or observed others falling or tripping over the same dangerous condition.  Courts may also allow evidence showing that the owner attempted to repair the hazard.

In May 2008, a man shopping at a Kroger in Douglasville, Georgia, was seriously injured when he slipped on a piece of crushed fruit near the deli counter.  As a result of the fall, his spinal cord required extensive surgery and was stabilized with rods and screws.  A landscaper by trade, he was no longer able to work and his medical bills came to $135,000.  During the trial, it was revealed that Kroger had taped over the security footage.  Kroger had failed to properly maintain their walkways, and a crushed piece of banana dramatically altered one man’s medical condition and his career.

You or a family member may be the victim of negligence.  If you have been injured as the result of a hazardous condition, Bryan W. Crews and his dedicated staff in Orlando can evaluate your case and pursue just compensation for your injuries.