Target Stores have spread their red bullseye across every state and here in Spokane. Target wants to meet all your needs, whether that be household goods, furniture, electronics, clothes, even groceries.
They try to attract as many customers as they can fit in the door. They hope you’ll spend lots of your hard-earned money, but they are also obligated to provide a safe shopping experience for your family.
Store Aisles Lead to Slips and Falls
After a rush on toilet paper or hamburger meat, Target stores can be a mess and those aisles can be hazardous. Spills and other obstacles can suddenly send you to the floor. Any time you leave your feet you can suffer serious injuries. You may not regain your mobility for months.
You’re left to consider how you might get a giant chain of big-box stores to care about your recovery.
Target Leaves Customers on Unsure Footing
The crowds that Target draws in means there will be plenty of customers who will make mistakes. A spilled drink here. A child drops candy down that aisle over there.
Target team members can also be to blame. Shelf stockers can leave boxes and containers on the floor at just the perfect height so that you miss seeing them until you’re taking a tumble. Store workers are also at fault if they don’t clean up a spill quickly and safely. They can also forget to set out “Wet Floor” signs.
Even the parking lot is Target’s responsibility to keep maintained and clear. Pavement issues, landscaping obstacles, and icy weather can force you to leave Target with an injury instead of the items on your shopping list.
What to Do if You Are Injured at Target
If possible, take these steps after being injured:
- Report the incident.
- Immediately report the accident to the manager or the nearest person of authority, and complete an accident report if one is available.
- Take pictures.
- Take a picture of where the slip and fall accident happened because the factors that caused your accident can easily be cleaned up or repaired, erasing the evidence.
- Seek medical attention.
- Get checked out by a medical professional right away. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may want to schedule an appointment with your doctor or visit an emergency room. If injuries are severe, you may need to be transported by ambulance to a trauma center.
Comparative Negligence in Washington
One million people a year go to the emergency room after a slip and fall according to recent numbers. If you are a victim, you are not alone.
And if you think the fall you took was partly your fault, don’t give up on your case. You may still collect damages because Washington is a pure comparative negligence state. This means the blame can be divided between the people and companies involved.
For instance, if it’s determined you weren’t watching where you were going the retailer can still be liable for part of the injuries. You might take 75% of the responsibility and the store would still be held at fault for 25% of the damages.
Making a Target Injury Claim
Washington law provides protection for the customer. The operator of any retail store must keep an area that is open to the public reasonably free from dangerous hazards. If the owner fails in this duty and someone gets injured, then a claim can be made. The law allows for two primary ways to prove negligence.
The victim needs to show that the hazard was:
- Created by the proprietor, or
- The proprietor knew of the hazard and didn’t fix it in a reasonable amount of time.
In most cases, the proprietor will probably deny they created the issue, or that they were attempting to fix the problem in a timely manner. The majority of claims for department store injuries are routinely denied by the insurance company. They will wait until they know you can put together a proper claim before they take you seriously.
At Crary & Domanico, P.S., we know how to successfully make a department store injury claim, and we know how to counter the owner’s defenses and to deal with the insurance companies.
Contact a Spokane Premises Liability Lawyer
Established in Spokane in 1948, Crary & Domanico, P.S. is committed to providing our clients with the absolute highest quality legal representation. If our Premises Liability Lawyers represent you for your accident case, you have our assurance that we will use our absolute best efforts to win your case. Contact us after any accident resulting in a serious injury for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation. We will only offer you advice which is in your best interest.
