Can You Sue for No Wet Floor Sign?

The moment you step on a business property, the business owes you a duty of care to take steps that prevent you from getting hurt. For example, the management of a corporate headquarters must ensure the safety of every elevator and escalator. If you sustained one or more injuries because a business did not protect you against harm, you might have a strong enough case to file a premises liability lawsuit. As one of the most common types of premises liability cases, a slip and fall accident frequently unfolds due to a wet floor, although you can sustain one or more injuries from slipping and falling on an icy patch outdoors, as well as trip over an extension cord or a loose piece of tile or carpeting.

According to data released by the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), slip and fall incidents result in more than one million emergency room visits each year in the United States. The injuries sustained from a slip and fall can be as minor as a few cuts and bruises to as serious as severe head trauma. One of the major contributors to slip and fall accidents concerns the lack of a Wet Floor sign to alert customers and visitors to the potential danger of a slick surface. This begs one important question.

Can you sue for no wet floor sign?

The answer to this question is typically yes. However, you should consult with an experienced personal injury to discover the answer as it applies to your unique case. An experienced personal injury attorney conducts a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of the slip and fall incident that caused you harm. After determining the cause of your injuries, your lawyer then decides whether the business should face legal consequences for not placing a Wet Floor sign in a timely manner over a slick surface. Physical evidence such as security camera footage and the statements provided by witnesses might help you build a strong enough case to take legal action,

Since 1988, the personal injury attorneys at Morgan and Morgan have helped clients recover the financial losses produced by slip and fall incidents. We have recovered more than $20 billion in monetary damages for our clients, with a substantial value of the financial awards coming from slip and fall cases. If you slipped and fell at a business and the business did not place a Wet Floor sign over the slick surface, you should schedule a free case evaluation today with one of the personal injury attorneys at Morgan and Morgan.

Where Are You Likely to Slip and Fall Because of No Wet Floor Sign?

The larger the venue, the more time it takes for employees to warn customers and visitors about a slick surface by placing a Wet Floor sign over it. Although convenience stores experience a high number of slip and fall cases for a wide variety of reasons, because of the small size of the building, store staff should take care of the slick surface quickly by placing a Wet Floor sign over it and then dry mopping the slick surface to restore safe conditions.

Let’s look at two larger venues that might take too much time to place a Wet Floor sign over a slick surface.

Shopping Malls

The stores inside shopping malls are responsible for protecting customers and visitors from getting hurt. Outside the confines of the retail outlets, the shopping mall maintenance crew is responsible for placing wet floor signs over a slick surface. Shopping mall maintenance crews also typically handle the maintenance responsibilities associated with a food court. If one crew member spots a slick surface and calls a second crew member located on the other side of the mall, getting a Wet Floor sign in place can take several minutes.

Arenas and Stadiums

Arenas and stadiums seem to act like magnets for beverage spills and water accumulating in certain areas of the buildings. Virtually every arena and stadium consists of multiple levels and a large area of square footage that makes it difficult for maintenance personnel to dry mop beverage spills and water accumulations. Not only does it take time to place a Wet Floor sign over a slick surface, but the sheer volume of calls can also put a maintenance crew behind when taking care of slick surfaces. Some arenas and stadiums contract out maintenance services, which means your personal injury attorney must determine which party should assume legal liability for causing you to slip and fall.

What Steps Should I Take After a Slip and Fall Incident?

The key to answering the question, “Can I sue for no wet floor sign?” is knowing how to react to a slip and fall incident. Completing each of the following steps can help you build a strong enough case to take legal action.

Get Treatment for Your Injuries

The heart of every personal injury lawsuit is the medical expenses associated with one or more injuries. Since a slip and fall can cause serious injuries such as brain trauma and spinal cord damage, medical bills can run into tens of thousands of dollars. Receiving medical care should be the first item on your to-do list after a slip and fall incident, even if you feel healthy enough to remain at the scene of the accident.

Inform Management

Informing management about a slip and fall because of a lack of a wet floor sign is relatively easy to do at a convenience store. The manager’s office should be located just a few feet away from where you sustained your injuries. On the other hand, notifying the management team at a large venue like an arena or a stadium is much more difficult to do. The best strategy is to tell the nearest employee about the slip and fall incident or send a witness to do it for you.

Gather Physical Evidence

If you feel healthy enough, you should take photographs of the area where you slipped and fell. Knowing whether you can sue for no wet floor sign hinges on demonstrating the business did not place a Wet Floor sign over a slick surface. Although the business might contest the timing of your photos, shooting images of the area where you slipped and fell helps you build a persuasive case. Your attorney also requests security camera footage, which includes a time stamp that verifies whether the business placed a Wet Floor sign over the slick surface in a timely manner. Witness accounts that confirm your version of events provide legal support for filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.

Contact Morgan and Morgan

One of the highly-rated personal injury lawyers at Morgan and Morgan helps you file a personal injury lawsuit. If the business can prove it took the right steps to alert customers and visitors about a slick surface, the answer to the question, “Can you sue for no wet floor sign” is no. Nonetheless, you can still receive compensation for your injuries by filing an insurance claim. Working with an experienced personal injury lawyer ensures your insurance company does not deny a valid claim or approve a claim that is valued below what you deserve for compensation.

How Does My Attorney Prove Negligence for a No Wet Floor Lawsuit?

Winning a favorable legal judgment after filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages requires your lawyer to prove the existence of the four elements of negligence. For a no wet floor sign case, your lawyer must demonstrate that the business did not take action quickly enough to prevent you from getting hurt.

The personal injury attorney that you hire from Morgan and Morgan must establish the presence of the duty of care doctrine, as well as show the business breached the duty of care doctrine that resulted in you sustaining one or more injuries in which you suffered financial losses.

Duty of Care

Proving a business owes you a duty of care is the easiest element of negligence to prove. Virtually every business that you enter as a customer or visitor is responsible for your well-being. This means preventing you from slipping and falling on a slick surface.

Violating the Duty of Care Doctrine

If a business failed to act with a sense of urgency by placing a Wet Floor sign over a slick surface, the business has violated the duty of care doctrine. On the other hand, if you noticed a Wet Floor sign and walked over the slick surface anyway, the business is absolved of assuming any legal liability for any injuries sustained.

Caused Your Injuries

The personal injury attorney representing you from Morgan and Morgan must show the judge hearing your case that the slip and fall incident caused your injuries. This includes presenting medical bills and records, as well as physical evidence demonstrating the connection between the slip and fall and your injuries. The other party’s attorney might try to convince the judge that you sustained your injuries from another event.

Financial Losses

The slip and fall incident must have generated financial losses. The most common type of financial loss regards medical bills, which you make copies of before submitting as evidence during a civil trial. Your personal injury attorney helps you collect and organize every bill and receipt to prove the fourth element of negligence.

What Is the Deadline to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

The personal injury lawyer assigned to your case from Morgan and Morgan provides several types of legal support. One of the most important types of legal support involves ensuring you file a civil lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Every state has established a deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit that seeks monetary damages, with the most common deadline falling between two and four years. The clock starts ticking on a personal injury lawsuit on the day when you sustained one or more injuries. There are exceptions to the rule, such as your lawyer might get an extension because you sustained an injury that produced delayed symptoms.

If you fail to file a personal injury lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations, expect the court clerk processing your case to dismiss it.

Since you have a limited amount of time to file a slip and fall lawsuit, take action today by scheduling a free case evaluation with one of the personal injury attorneys from Morgan and Morgan.