Supermarket Accidents

Have you suffered an injury in a shop or supermarket or had a nasty tummy bug that you think has been caused by their products? Have you complained and been offered some points on your loyalty card or been given a discount on your next shop? This is what often happens and it is certainly in the shop or supermarkets interest to offer these small amounts because you may not realise that your claim for compensation could be very much larger.

What are the common sorts of accidents in shops or supermarkets?

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Slipping accidents are by far the most common. Spillages are to some extent a fact of life in supermarkets whether caused by the staff or indeed other customers. Some serious injuries have arisen from falls in shops. The shop has to show that it has a reasonable system for dealing with spillages or general untidiness on the shop floor and if it is unable to show this (often the case for the smaller shops)then a claim may well lie against them in negligence.

Tripping accidents are another common hazard. Empty pallets left on the floor, tins in packaging piled on the floor waiting for someone to move them and baskets left out are all capable of causing someone to trip. Again the shop may be found responsible if it can be found that they had no systems in place for getting goods off the floor and onto the shelves as soon as possible. It is not uncommon for people to fall in supermarket car parks because of potholes or uneven surfaces and if you can show that the car park has not been adequately maintained then you may receive compensation.

Falling objects are another cause of accidents. Items incorrectly stacked or over stacked or simply not fixed in place properly can fall hitting customers causing injury.

There have been injuries on faulty escalators and in lifts and showing that there is a lack of adequate maintenance will give rise to a claim for the injure individual.

Accidents are often caused by staff, failing to stack shelves properly, failing to clean or put out hazard signs or knocking into people whilst moving pallets of goods around are all examples and their employers, the shop or supermarket have to take responsibility for those actions and if negligent then their public liability insurance will make payment.

Workers themselves can be injured during the course of their employment in the shop. Tripping and falling claims are not uncommon, injuries from inadequately maintained or unguarded machinery, the list is endless. If they can show fault on the part of the supermarket, their employer then again they can claim compensation.

What to do if you have an accident in a supermarket.

The first thing you should do is ensure that the accident is reported and recorded in the accident book.
Get the names and addresses of any witnesses.
Get medical attention at the earliest opportunity and ensure that you tell the hospital or GP that you have had the accident, where it happened and what happened in order that it be adequately recorded.
Keep receipts for everything you might reasonably feel you have incurred as a result of the accident. Medication and travel expenses are common and if you have to have time off work, you can claim for loss of earnings if you can show that this is a result of the accident.

If you have had an accident in a shop or its car park as a customer or member of staff, you should seek specialist legal advice as soon as possible.