While it may be an exaggeration to call shopping a full contact sport like football, the reality is that Kansas City residents who set out to one of the area’s many brick and mortar stores, whether they are in shopping centers, indoor malls or standalone structures, are exposing themselves to the possibility of being hurt.
For instance, it is always possible for a shopper to slip and fall while in a store. This can happen because a floor is wet from being cleaned or because the weather outside is rainy or snowy. Some floors also can be in poor repair, or the design of the store itself may include sudden changes in elevation. Escalators or bad lighting can also cause falls.
Lest one think a slip and fall can only happen inside the store, many shoppers also wind up tripping in the parking lots, particularly if the lot is slick, wet or is cracked and needs to be re-paved.
Other injuries are also possible while one is out shopping. Many stores, particularly big box stores, store a lot of heavy objects at heights, and most stores set up displays of their merchandise that can tower over the heads of their customers. Should a heavy object fall, a shopper could suffer a serious head injury as a result.
The thing about shopping-related injuries is that many if not most of them are preventable when the owner of the store exercises a little extra care and caution. Just making sure that the floors are well-lit, clean and in good order is a great start, and properly storing merchandise so it does not fall on customers is another easy step that goes a long way to prevent injuries.
Therefore, a victim of a shopping-related accident may be able to get compensation from the store’s owner via a personal injury lawsuit.
