Brockton Retail Store Accident Attorneys
Over the last ten years thousands of shoppers have been seriously injured or killed by merchandise falling from store shelves. Paint cans, televisions, power tools, toys, and all sort of appliances are falling off store shelves and injuring customers daily.
Over 30,000 Wal-Mart shoppers have suffered injuries due to falling merchandise over the last twenty five years. According to Home Depot’s own sources the retail hardware giant has seen as many as 150 falling merchandise claims in a week. There was an eighteen month period where sixty-eight customers actually filed lawsuits against Home Depot.
The Rise of the Self-Service Retail Warehouse Superstore
Wal-Mart opened their first stores in the early 1960’s. These stores were a huge success and soon began to spread all over the nation. These stores operate on a self-service retail warehouse type model where all the merchandise is brought out front and placed on the sales floor instead of outback in storage. In order to make room for all the merchandise Wal-Mart created large stores with tons huge shelving units. Forklifts drive into the store with huge pallets of merchandise stacked as high as possible. These pallets are then dropped off in an aisle or loaded onto shelves.
Other companies followed Wal-Mart and adopted the profitable self-service retail warehouse model including Home Depot, Lowe’s, IKEA, Staples, Costco, Toys’R Us, ACE Hardware. This warehouse business model has been expanding since the 1980’s.
These stores operate on a self-service model. Customers walk the aisles with their shopping carts and take merchandise and products off the shelving units without the assistance of an employee. However, these stores often stack their merchandise and products on high shelves. Sometimes these shelving units don’t have guardrails or safety bars to prevent the stacked products from tipping over the side and falling to the ground. Unfortunately, hundreds of customers are injured every year reaching for products on these shelving units. Other times products and merchandise just falls on its own, landing on a customer that is passing by.
The fact that a business operates this self-service warehouse business model exposes them to liability for injuries resulting from falling merchandise. Some stores can be liable for these injuries simply because they operate this self-service business model.
If You Have Been Injured By Falling Merchandise In A Retail Store or Warehouse, Call Our Attorneys Today And Discuss Your Case For Free
A negligent property owner that exposes someone to such hazardous conditions should be the one that has to pay for the medical bills and pain and suffering endured because of his lack of care. Attorney Noonan firmly believes this and he will zealously pursue your interests.
For decades the The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan has been helping clients throughout Southeast Massachusetts secure fair financial compensation for injuries by holding the negligent owners responsible for the unsafe property conditions they expose the public to. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case in complete confidence.
Serving the Greater Boston Area and all of Southeastern Massachusetts including Boston, Brockton, Canton, Taunton, Bridgewater, Weymouth, Quincy, Hingham, Marshfield, and Plymouth.
