Lawsuits for Slips, Trips, and Falls in Utah Retail Stores
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over one million Americans suffer a slip, trip, and fall injury each year and over 17,000 die due to these falls. Many of these injuries are preventable and occur in retail stores or other places open to the public. Falls can occur in big box stores such as Wal-mart, Target, or Home Depot or large department stores such as Kohl's or Macy's. They also occur at smaller shops and stores. They can happen on the sales floor, or in the parking lot and walkways leading to the entrance.
Utah Legal Standards for Slip and Fall Injuries
Retailers are not automatically liable for all injuries occurring on their premises. The owner/ operator must have been negligent. Under Utah law, businesses of all types open to the public have a duty to use reasonable care to keep the premises free of dangerous and defective conditions. They must use care to replace, repair, or warn of such conditions. The owner must generally know about the condition, or at least have an opportunity to discover it. If a retailer fails in this duty, and injuries result, the injured person may have a valid claim. This area of the law is referred to as "premises liability."
Common Causes of Slips, Trips, and Falls in Retail Settings In Utah
I've handled numerous slip and fall cases in Utah in the course of my legal career. Some causes of these falls include the following: poorly designed stairways, lack of handrails, uneven floor surfaces, inappropriate accumulation of ice and snow, hidden or obscured holes, loose mats or rugs, and even objects falling from shelves.
Various factors come into play when evaluating and proving these cases. How long was the dangerous condition present? Did the store create it or allow it? Was it open and obvious or obscured?
The type of flooring material can also become relevant. Some flooring material is inappropriately slippery for high-use areas and/or areas which are commonly wet or dirty. The static coefficient of friction is a way of measuring this. A higher coefficient of friction is generally safer.
An Experienced Utah Slip and Fall Attorney Willing to Listen
If you or someone you know has suffered injuries due to a slip, trip, or fall accident in Utah I would be happy to talk to you for free to see if I can help. I've successfully handled many of these cases and can talk to you for free. Please call attorney Jared Faerber (801) 438-1099.