Slip and Fall Accident Personal Injury Attorneys
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company has over 420 stores located throughout the northeast, including Massachusetts. It was founded in Somerville, Massachusetts and is currently headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Supermarkets like Stop & Shop have policies and procedures they put in place in order to prevent accidents and injuries from occurring on their property. Given the nature of the grocery store business, and the fact that large numbers of customers are walking in around these stores on a daily basis, it is not surprising accidents are commonplace in supermarket stores.
Hazardous conditions are bound to develop on the floors or aisles with all the perishable goods being transported, water and condensation from ice and cooling systems, and liquid spills from dropped or broken merchandise. Supermarkets know there are particular “problem areas” that are common to every grocery store and should take preventive steps to minimize the risk of accidents from known or expected conditions.
Common Problem Areas That Involve Accidents in Supermarkets and Grocery Stores
The majority of injuries sustained in grocery type stores involve accidents in the following store locations:
- The Produce Section: Customers often drop wet produce on the floor when inspecting the produce or transferring it from the display dins to their shopping carts. Loose or fallen produce like grapes, tomatoes and lettuce are slippery and wet and are a slip and fall hazard. Produce aisles that have self watering devices can spray or leak water onto the floor.
- Frozen Food Section: These sections have large refrigeration units that keep the food inside frozen. Sometimes these units leak water or condensation causes water to seep and accumulate on flooring in the aisles.
- Check-Out Counters: These are high traffic areas and most shoppers are rushing around trying to get in the shortest line so they can get out faster making slippery floors even more dangerous to distracted or hurried customers at the check-out.
- Entrance and Exits: These are high traffic areas. Snow and ice are often tracked in from outside making these locations prone to wet and slippery conditions.
All these locations have high volumes of foot traffic — add wet and slippery conditions into the mix and slip and fall accidents are all too common. Grocery stores know that these areas are high foot traffic locations that are prone to developing wet and slippery conditions; therefore, the supermarket has a legal obligation to take reasonable steps to warn unsuspecting customers of these dangerous conditions or cleanup any wet and slippery conditions that the store knows of or should know of.
Attention Must be Paid to Problem Areas
As previously stated, supermarkets know certain sections are prone to dangerous and slippery conditions. As a result, grocery stores need to have employees routinely inspect these areas for hazardous conditions and clean up or remedy any problems that arise in a timely manner.
A cleaning and inspection check list should be posted and regular inspections need to be assigned to employees in order to reduce or eliminate any number of hazardous conditions that can arise in the supermarket setting.
Employees also need to be properly trained on how to identify hazards and how to properly clean them. Unfortunately, this is where most supermarkets breach their duty to their customers. More often than not, employees fail to do regular floor inspections or don’t run the entire checklist putting customers at risk for slip and fall accidents.
Types of Injuries From Slip and Fall Accidents
Anything from minor bumps and bruises to major traumatic injuries can result from a slip and fall accident. The following are examples of some slip and fall injuries:
- Neck and Back Injuries resulting muscle strains or herniated discs
- Knee Injuries involving ligament tears of ALC, MLC or PCL
- Bone Fracture Injuries including the sternum and rib fractures, clavicle fractures, wrist and forearm fractures, hip and pelvis fractures, foot and ankle fractures
- Shoulder Injuries
- Head and Brain Injuries resulting Traumatic Brain Injury or Minor Traumatic Brain Injury
- Facial Injuries including fractured nose, jaw, cheek or dental injuries
- Ligament, Tendon and Muscle Injuries
Stop & Shop Slip and Fall Accident Attorney
Gerald J. Noonan is an experienced Owner Negligence and Premises Liability attorney with more than 30 years of legal and trial experience. Over the course of these three decades attorney Noonan has helped countless accident victims receive the financial compensation they deserve. Attorney Noonan has successfully battled insurance companies for years. They know it is our job to make sure property holders are held accountable for their negligence and when you hire an attorney with a solid reputation, insurance companies know they need to take you seriously.
No matter where you are located, we are just a phone call away. Call the experienced slip and fall accident attorneys now to schedule a free no-obligation case review and consultation at (508) 588-0422 and you will have taken your first step to find out how best to pursue civil justice. You can also click here to use our Free Case Evaluation Form.
We offer a free, no-obligation legal consultation to help you understand your rights and the value of your case.
Stop & Shop Slip and Fall Accident Premises Liability Attorney
Our law firm is available to assist clients throughout Massachusetts, including but not limited to: Plymouth County including Brockton, Plymouth, Bridgewater, Wareham, Abington, Rockland, Whitman, Hanson, Holbrook Middleboro; Norfolk County including Quincy, Stoughton, Dedham, Weymouth, Braintree, Randolph, Canton, Sharon, Brookline, Franklin; Bristol County including New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Wrentham, Attleboro, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham; and Middlesex County including Cambridge, Lowell, Somerville, Newton, Woburn, Framingham, Malden, Chelsea, Everett, Arlington, Medford and Waltham; Cape Cod, Barnstable, Hyannis, Falmouth; Springfield & Worcester; Essex County including Lynn, Lawrence, Peabody, Haverhill; and the Greater Boston area including, Revere, Dorchester, and Roxbury. New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Westport, Dartmouth, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham, Lakeville, Norton; Cape Cod, Hyannis, Falmouth, Barnstable and the Greater Boston area including Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Everett, Lawrence, Lynn, Revere, Dorchester, Roxbury.