With more time being spent at home these days and also an increasing interest in budget-friendly DIY solutions, homeowners have been shopping at Home Depot a lot lately. This popular home improvement store is filled with everything you need to repair and renovate your house. But it can also pose certain risks and dangers because of how these stores are set up and the types of products being sold here.
If you have been injured in a Home Depot store, here’s what you need to know about pursuing a claim and how a local slip and fall accident attorney can help.
Causes of Slip and Fall Home Depot Accidents
Like other retail establishments, Home Depot stores have a responsibility to their customers to maintain a safe and clean environment for shopping. If a store does not uphold this responsibility, it can be held liable for a person’s injuries that occurred because of a fall.
One common reason for a slip and fall in Home Depot is a liquid spill from a leaking cleaning product or a wet floor from watering around the garden center. Construction materials left out in aisles can pose dangers to shoppers, as well as boxes that can be tripped over or stacked haphazardly. People have also been injured in Home Depot stores due to recently mopped floors without proper warning signage, paint spills, poor lighting, wet entryways after rain or show, and potholes in the parking lot.
Actions to Take after A Slip and Fall at Home Depot
While they might seem minor at first, slip and fall accidents in Home Depot stores can cause severe injuries that result in high medical bills and long-term damage to your health. From bruises to broken bones and injuries to the neck, back, and spinal cord, it’s important to seek medical treatment right away after an in-store incident. Not only is immediate treatment the best course of action to care for your health, but it also helps your case by eliminating the defense’s potential argument that you made your own injuries worse by delaying treatment.
If possible, take photos of the accident scene and your injuries to preserve as evidence. Make sure to keep the clothes and shoes that you were wearing at the time of the accident as well. Let a manager at the Home Depot know that you were injured and get a copy of the accident report that was filed in the store or by the police. Do not accept blame for the accident and avoid making any public statements until you speak with a slip and fall lawyer.
How Slip and Fall Home Depot Claims Are Settled
Similar to other types of personal injury claims, slip and fall Home Depot claims require proof that the store owned, occupied, or controlled the property it is located on and that it was negligent in maintaining that property. As a fall victim, you must prove that you were injured and that Home Depot’s negligence caused your injuries. To pursue a successful case against the store and company, you should also be able to show that you were not being careless, that you weren’t ignoring warning signs or employee advice, and that you weren’t distracted to a point of causing your own injuries.
Various pieces of evidence can help you settle your claim faster and to your advantage, such as video surveillance, witness testimony, and medical documentation of your injuries. Having competent legal counsel on your side will also go a long way in being successful when you’re up against a huge corporation like Home Depot.
The Importance of Contacting a Local Slip and Fall Attorney
Far too often, shoppers initially disregard their injuries as no big deal only to discover how devastating their pain is weeks or months later. The Law Office of Jeffrey K. Kestenbaum provides dedicated and aggressive representation in New York to help you be successful in recovering the maximum settlement for your case.
For a free Home Depot accident case review, contact our office online or at 718-237-5586.
