Safeway Slip and Fall Injuries: How to Seek Compensation for Your Accident

Grocery store shopping should not be a health risk. However, due to the nature of grocery stores like Safeway, the risk of slip and fall injuries can be very high when management neglects store maintenance or employee training. Aisles can be littered with leaking merchandise, dropped jars, and food debris. Sometimes, wet floors lack the appropriate warning signs.  

Falling at Safeway or another grocery store can leave you with significant and, in some cases, life-changing injuries. However, you could be entitled to compensation if your slip and fall accident happened due to the store’s carelessness.

If you were injured at Safeway, Morgan & Morgan has your back. Our determined Safeway slip and fall lawyers can hold the company accountable and fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free case review to discover whether you have a case and qualify for damages.

Can You File a Slip and Fall Lawsuit?

Not every fall in Safeway qualifies for a slip and fall claim. However, if your fall occurred due to a hazardous condition in the supermarket, you could be entitled to damages. Safeway management must ensure that the supermarket is free of any hazards that could lead to slips, trips, or falls. If store management knew or should have known of a dangerous condition and failed to remove it or warn customers, they could be liable for victims’ damages.

Causes of Safeway Slip and Fall Accidents

Supermarkets like Safeway can be busy and chaotic at peak times. Customers drop products, floors can be wet from leaks or spillages, and boxes may clutter the aisles. If employees do not promptly attend to spillages, leaks, and clutter, shoppers could suffer harm. Some common dangerous conditions in grocery stores can include:

• Loose or bulging carpeting
• Recently mopped floors
• Leaks from freezers and fridges
• Boxes or electrical cables cluttering aisles
• Food and liquid spills
• Cracked sidewalks and potholes in parking lots
• Uneven or broken flooring
• Snow and ice accumulations on sidewalks
• Lack of warning signs
• Products falling from shelves

Employees may tell you that the accident was your own fault if you get hurt at Safeway. However, you should seek legal advice as soon as possible to determine your options and the best course of action, as you could qualify for a slip and fall settlement. Morgan & Morgan’s lawyers can assess your fall, determine whether you have legal recourse, and move forward with a claim to pursue damages.

What Should You Do After a Slip and Fall Accident in Safeway?

If you or a loved one got harmed in a Safeway slip and fall accident, following the steps below could help to recover compensation if the grocery chain is responsible.

Seek Medical Attention

If you are seriously hurt in a fall, call 911 to request medical assistance. If your injuries seem minor at the time, or you feel fine immediately after the fall, do not be tempted to skip a doctor’s visit. Some fall injuries may not show symptoms in the first few days after the accident. Since you could have an injury that may not be immediately obvious, such as a concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI), seek medical help as soon as possible. Moreover, to file a lawsuit, you need a medical report to prove your slip and fall injuries.

Document the Accident

Accidents can be confusing, especially if you suffer severe injuries and need emergency medical treatment. While the last thing on your mind may be collecting evidence, some simple actions could prove crucial for your claim. Try to take photographs of the accident scene and the reason for your fall. If you are too severely injured, ask a bystander or family member to snap some photos for you. If others saw you fall, ask them for their contact information. Note down the names of the manager or supervisor who attended the accident. As soon as possible after your fall, write down exactly what happened. Keeping good notes of the accident can be helpful as memories change and fade over time.

File an Accident Report Immediately

If you slipped and fell at Safeway, ask a supervisor or manager to fill in an accident report. Insist on a formal report of your slip and fall, even if Safeway employees are trying to talk you out of it. Once the report is completed, ask for a copy for your own records. The document can be critical evidence for your claim.

Contact a Safeway Slip and Fall Lawyer

A significant slip and fall injury can impact you emotionally, physically, and financially. While you could be entitled to compensation, getting what you deserve can be complicated when you are up against a powerful corporation. An attorney can level the playing field and fight for what you deserve.

If you suffered an injury due to no fault of your own at Safeway, you need to understand your legal rights and options for getting justice. Our slip and fall lawyers can walk you through your options and file a lawsuit on your behalf.

What are Safeway Slip and Fall Injuries?

Recovering from a severe slip-and-fall injury can require extensive medical care and rehabilitation. In the worst cases, fall victims may be fatally injured or disabled, requiring constant care. Slip-and-fall injuries can be particularly devastating for older adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are not only a risk to older adults’ health but could prevent them from living independently. Fall injuries can include, among others:

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Fractures of the arms, wrists, ankles, knees, and hips
• Dental and facial injuries such as a broken jaw or a broken nose
• Spinal cord injury and paralysis
• Cuts and lacerations

What to Expect from Slip and Fall Accident Compensation?

If you suffered a severe injury due to another’s inattention or carelessness, they should pay for your damages, not you. You could be entitled to various types of compensation, depending on your injuries and the facts of your case, including:

• Medical expenses
• Wage losses
• Future expected medical expenses and income losses
• Out-of-pocket costs
• In-home care
• Help with your household
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disability

Our Safeway slip and fall lawyers can determine the worth of your claim and help you fight for the compensation you deserve.

Morgan & Morgan Has Your Back

If another party, such as a grocery store, is responsible for your injuries and damages, our Safeway slip and fall lawyers could help. We could handle all the legal aspects of your claim while you are healing from your injuries. Ways in which we can help you pursue damages include:

Establish Liability and Prove Your Claim

Our attorneys can assess your fall accident, determine the cause, and identify whether Safeway management or employees contributed to your accident. If a manager or supervisor knew of a hazardous condition and did not take action, the grocery chain could be liable for your losses. Our attorneys can gather and organize the evidence needed to prove your claim and your damages.

Protect You From Accepting a Lowball Settlement Offer

Insurance companies frequently make quick initial settlement offers. However, the amount may be too low to cover all your damages from a slip and fall. For example, you could expect to sustain future wage loss and future medical expenses due to your injury. Our attorneys are here to protect you and ensure you do not leave any money on the table. We want you to receive the actual value of your claim so you can move forward and get your life back on track.

Represent Your Case Powerfully at Trial

Morgan & Morgan never settles for less. Unlike some law firms, we do not back down if a grocery store’s last settlement offer does not match what our victims deserve. If negotiations for an out-of-court settlement fail, we can take your case to court and fight tooth and nail for maximum compensation.

Give You the Personal Attention You Deserve

Taking legal action can be stressful, especially if you are still recovering from your injuries. However, when you get America’s largest personal injury firm on your side, you do not have to worry about anything. Our committed attorneys can handle your claim from beginning to end.

Our clients are like family to us. We always have an open ear for your concerns and questions. Our priority is to give you the best chance of winning your claim. Morgan & Morgan can be your shoulder to lean on during the most challenging times in your life.

How Long Can I Sue After a Safeway Slip and Fall?

The deadline for personal injury lawsuits will depend on your state’s statute of limitations, determining how much time victims have to seek justice. Some states have relatively short deadlines, with victims having to file their claims within one year. However, other states allow four years or more for filing a personal injury lawsuit. The time generally starts ticking down on the day of your injury.

Since there can be drastic deadline variations depending on where you live, consider seeking legal advice as soon as possible after your Safeway slip and fall. Waiting too long to file a lawsuit could bar you from seeking compensation.

I Got Hurt in a Safeway Parking Lot; Could I Sue?

Certain circumstances could allow you to recover compensation from Safeway if you were injured in the store’s parking lot. For example, you could have a claim, if you can show that your injury occurred due to the store’s negligence, such as:

• Failing to maintain the parking lot
• Not removing snow and ice accumulations
• Failing to place warning signs near holes or cracks in the surface

Your best step to find out whether you have recourse is to contact a Safeway slip and fall lawyer who can investigate your accident and determine your options for pursuing compensation.

Do I Need an Attorney to Sue Safeway?

Slip and fall lawsuits fall under premises liability law, which can be complex. Moreover, you would be going up against a powerful nationwide grocery chain that will have vast resources and, most likely, teams of highly paid lawyers in its corner. Therefore, to have a chance of success, you should consider working with an experienced slip and fall attorney.

This is especially true if you suffer permanent or life-changing injuries. Do not leave anything to chance when a lot of money and your future could be at stake. Safeway and its insurer will likely fight your claim vigorously. A skilled attorney can give you the best chance of winning your case and receiving maximum compensation.

Can I Collect an Out-Of-Court Settlement for My Slip and Fall?

Most slip and fall claims settle out of court, and the victims never set foot in a courtroom. Therefore, it is likely that you could recover an out-of-court settlement if Safeway is responsible for your injuries and damages.

However, some injury claims invariably end up at a trial. This can be the case if your claim involves exceptionally high damages, responsibility for the accident is unclear, and the parties cannot agree on a settlement amount. A trial, which can be lengthy and expensive, is typically the last resort when all other options to resolve the claim have failed.

Contact Morgan & Morgan for Help With Your Slip and Fall Today 

If a grocery store cuts corners by failing to hire enough staff or neglecting to train employees properly, customers can suffer devastating injuries in avoidable accidents. Morgan & Morgan thinks injured shoppers should not have to pay for a corporation’s failures.

Our Safeway slip and fall lawyers have the knowledge, resources, and motivation to hold grocery stores like Safeway accountable for your injuries and financial losses. You pay nothing unless we win. Contact us now to find out whether you qualify for compensation.