What to do After a Slip and Fall Accident at a Department Store

Department stores such as Lowe’s and the Home Depot have business liability insurance. The hardware chains also have experienced legal teams that represent them in personal injury claims that are filed against them. How to protect your rights?

The most common causes of Slip and Fall accidents

Department and home improvement stores such as Lowes or Home Depot, sell heavy and large tools, construction products and other items that are more hazardous than what you would find in a normal store. It, therefore, follows that accidents at these stores can result in serious injuries. The most common causes of slip and fall accidents are:

• Tripping over an improperly-placed floor mat
• Slipping on water spilled in the garden and plan section
• Spilled industrial liquids such as cans of paint
• Fallen items like tiles, lumber or heavy boxes
• Falling over a dolly, a card, a ladder, or a merchandise lift
• Slipping on snow, ice, or rain tracked inside the stores’ entrances by visitors

The law on maintaining a safe environment

Ontario’s Occupier’s Liability Act sets conditions that businesses like Lowe’s and the Home Depot must abide by to provide for a safe workplace. According to Section 3 (1) “An occupier of premises owes a duty to take such care as in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable to see that persons entering on the premises, and the property brought on the premises by those persons are reasonably safe while on the premises.” The duty of care includes:

• Routinely cleaning floors
• Regularly checking the floors for fallen merchandise and spills
• Putting out hazard signs such as “Slippery Floor” when there are dangerous conditions
• Ensuring there’s proper lighting
• Ensuring safe storage
• Regular monitoring and maintenance check-ups

Why you need a Lawyer for your slip and fall accident against a department store

Department stores such as Lowe’s and the Home Depot have business liability insurance. The hardware chains also have experienced legal teams that represent them in personal injury claims that are filed against them.

A Grillo Law, we have been representing clients in personal injury claims for over 30 years. We have the experience necessary to advise you on such matters as the merits of your claim, how to file a claim, gathering of necessary evidence to prove your claim, advice on how much to seek in compensation, and when it is advisable to settle out of court or proceed to trial.

We only get paid if and when we win the claim, meaning you will get the best representation even when you don’t have cash at hand. Hiring us is indeed the best option if you are severely injured since you get to recuperate.

Call Grillo Law FREE of charge on (416) 614-6000 for answers to any question you may have about filing a personal injury claim against a department store.