Giant warehouse stores have room under their roofs for just about anything Philadelphia and South Jersey shoppers could need. Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of space for spills and other obstacles to take your feet out from under you and leave you with a painful injury.
Sam’s Club employees can ignore a hazard in the aisle or forget to clean it up and suddenly you’re on the floor and left with an injury that may take months to heal.
If you’re the victim of a slip-and-fall accident contact a Philadelphia slip-and-fall attorney at The Pearce Law Firm, P.C. We offer you a free, no-obligation assessment of your case. You should know your rights after getting hurt due to the negligence of a giant chain like Sam’s Club.
Sam’s Club Accident Dangers in Philadelphia
There are at least five Sam’s Club locations in the Philadelphia area. Each one is equipped to fill your gas tank, put tires on your SUV, and offer up bulk groceries and home goods. The sheer amount of selection can boggle your mind.
You could be forgiven for not watching each step you take. In fact, you shouldn’t have to. Store owners and operators are required to show a “duty of care” towards any visitor they invite in. Shoppers should have a safe route through the store no matter the circumstances. Yet when store proprietors get busy they can also get sloppy. They can let a hazard sit on the floor or on the pavement in the parking lot and suddenly you are down and suffering from a broken bone or even a brain injury.
These are just some of the threats to your safety Sam’s Club employees have a duty to monitor:
- Aisle Dangers – Sam’s Club Cafes only sell one size of fountain drink. Big. Those 30 Oz drinks can get dropped and create a giant puddle anywhere in the store. Giant food containers can also shatter on the floor and create a slippery mess. Stockers can leave forklifts and all sizes of boxes on the ground. Your foot can easily catch them and send you into a tripping accident.
- Produce Section Dangers – Sam’s sells bushels of fresh fruit and vegetables and sometimes grapes or blueberries roll to the ground and create a dangerous hazard. Water can puddle up on the tile and present a nearly invisible obstacle.
- Sam’s Bathroom Dangers – These floors seem slippery even when clean and dry. Plumbing can leak. Liquid soap can glaze over a floor.
- Parking Lot Hazards – A Sam’s Club gas station can have an oil slick near the pumps. Ice or snow can build up in the parking lots and nearly turn them into ski slopes. These potential hazards are all things store owners are responsible for. Potholes can get deep and if you step into one unaware you can snap an ankle or trip and fall forward to hit your knee or land on your face.
These are just some of the most common hazards but there’s an entire store’s worth danger at each Sam’s Club each day. If you fall and have your mobility affected or your ability to retain memories is taken or you need multiple surgeries, a company like Sam’s Club should be held accountable like anyone else.
Compensation from Sam’s Club After a Fall
Once you fall at a Sam’s Club a timer starts on your chances to file a claim to get help in your recovery. Pennsylvania and New Jersey both allow victims up to two years to bring a claim forward against Sam’s Club. It may seem like you have a long time to decide on your course of action, but ideally, you want to file your civil claim as soon as possible. Witnesses, evidence, and documents will be easier to track down in the days and weeks immediately after an accident.
Your civil lawsuit is very important to your financial and emotional stability in the years to come. Winning compensation can help you pay for bills now and also cover you when more complications from your accident appear down the road.
Accident victims may earn compensation for these factors and more:
- Medical expenses now and any treatment expected in the future.
- Past and future lost earnings at work.
- Permanent physical disability such as mobility issues, scars, and the loss of a limb.
- Emotional distress, such as depression and anxiety. The cost of counseling services.
- Physical pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life as you learn to live with a severe injury.
Contact a Philadelphia Slip-And-Fall Lawyer
If an accident at a Sam’s Club location has left you with serious injuries contact a highly rated Philadelphia Slip-and-Fall Accident Lawyer such as Edith Pearce.
A national chain like Sam’s Club will have a team of lawyers and insurance agents. They may call you asking for a statement on what happened. Don’t give them a word. They may be trying to get you to say something that weakens your case against them. Allow an attorney like Edith Pearce to handle these calls for you and to work on your side to fight for your wellbeing.