When a New York resident thinks of things that might cause an injury, a few examples may come readily to mind. These may include playing sports, getting into a car accident or just sheer clumsiness. Some might be surprised that, aside from those, shopping leads to thousands of injuries every year — including back, neck and slip and fall injuries.
These often occur either when a store’s owner fails to keep their property safe or does not give appropriate warning for hazards that are known to them that could cause injury. When most shopping accidents occur, the damage is often minor. However, sometimes more serious injuries occur, including sprains, broken bones, neck and spine injury, head trauma and, sometimes, even death.
The rate of this kind of injury’s occurrence often increases when heavy shopping seasons are in full swing, such as Black Friday, Christmas and other similar holidays. The accidents may include (but are not limited to) slip and falls due to dangerous surfaces, head or body injuries due to falling objects or displays toppling over or shopping cart injuries due to a cart falling over. Also, overcrowding injuries due to trampling and parking lot injuries, which are often caused by uneven surfaces or ice, are common causes of shopping-related accidents as well.
When individuals find that they have been injured on commercial properties in New York due to shopping-related accidents such as a slip and fall accident, they may be able to file personal injury claims against the owner of the property or premises. When seriously injured, it is imperative that the individual consult a personal injury attorney. An experienced attorney can help the individual determine whether the store was at fault and can help him or her recover any monetary damages as compensation for the injury or injuries suffered.
Source: FindLaw, “Shopping Injuries Overview“, Accessed on Aug. 29, 2016
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