Injuries at Supermarkets

Supermarkets provide the food, dining accessories and beverages which keep our society fed and stocked, so we don’t have to each worry about farming our own meals – which is certainly nice. However supermarkets – like Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Market Basket or Star Market – also combine many factors which may lead to serious accidents and resulting injuries. If you or a loved one was injured in a supermarket, contact the Boston-based personal injury attorneys at Altman & Altman LLP today to see if you may be able to file a claim for damages.

Supermarkets host numerous ways in which their patrons may become injured on their premises. The most common cause of injuries in supermarkets result from slip and fall incidents. Perhaps the produce department has a water spritzer on the fritz, which results in a slick floor by the lettuce. Someone could easily slip and fall, resulting in head trauma or broken bones. Other ways which you may become injured include products falling from high shelving units, or the shelving units themselves collapsing and crushing you.

For employees, you may be trapped in a walk-in freezer and suffer severe or life-threatening injuries from the cold, or suffer a crushing accident in the warehouse where large pallets of food are kept, stocked and retrieved for display in the front of the store. There is also a risk of injuries from transport trucks and forklifts which help unpack deliveries. If you work in the deli, perhaps you injure yourself on a malfunctioning meat slicer.

Supermarkets may also be held liable if they stock and sell produce or other food items which contain harmful bacteria, resulting in their patrons becoming sick. In other cases, food may need to be recalled if there was a manufacturing mishap which results in harmful foreign objects winding up in the food product. If you were made sick or otherwise injured by one of these instances, you may have a claim to collect damages.

Proving Negligence is the Key to a Claim

Supermarkets, like any other place of business where people are expected to frequent and spend time, have a legal responsibility to ensure that their premises are reasonably safe and protect their patrons from harm. This means that if a spill is noticed, it must be cleaned up to prevent slips – or a sign must be otherwise posted to warn and alert customers of the potential hazard.

If a supermarket is made aware of a possible outbreak of a disease or bacterial infestation of a particular product, but they continue to sell that item anyways, then they would be found negligent if that product made somebody sick – as they knew the potential risk of selling it, and did not err on the side of caution.

Supermarkets are now also at risk now more than ever of facing damages claims if they sell alcohol to minors, and the minors wind up in an accident or harming someone else. They may also face charges if they fail to keep the premises reasonably safe and a patron is injured as the result of a robbery.

In all of these hypothetical but possible situations, proving negligence is the key to any successful claim for damages. The experienced legal team at Altman & Altman LLP has over 50 years of experience advocating on behalf of our injured clients in Boston, Cambridge, Salem and all throughout Massachusetts. We will provide you with unmatched representation and keep you informed of the status of your case every step of the way.

We understand how an injury may impact your life, so we understand the important of getting money to pay for medical expenses or recoup money that was lost from being unable to work. We provide free consultations to go over the details of your case, and can get started right away,

Call today at 617.492.3000 or toll-free at 800.481.6199. We are available 24/7.