When most people shop, they are more worried about overspending than suffering an injury. Unfortunately, 66 American kids go to the hospital every day due to shopping cart injuries, according to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The negligence of store owners and employees can also cause slips and falls, parking lot injuries and worse.
Common Types of Shopping-Related Injuries in New Mexico
Store owners usually have a legal duty to remove or fix dangers on their properties. In certain cases, they must provide adequate warnings to customers about potential hazards. If they fail to do this, then the store owners may be liable for customers’ injuries.
Slips and falls account for most accidents that happen in stores. They send more than 100,000 people to the hospital each year with an array of serious injuries, according to the National Floor Safety Institute. Most are minor, but head trauma, spinal injuries, neck injuries, fractures and worse can happen.
Here are five common injuries that happen on commercial properties:
- Body and Head Injuries
These injuries can have traumatic and permanent effects. Unreachable items, unsteady retail displays, falling objects and other mishaps can cause head and body injuries.
- Slips and Falls
People slip, trip and fall for a variety of reasons. Storeowners have an obligation to ensure that floors are dry, carpets are safe to walk on, lighting is adequate, and escalators functioning.
- Parking Lot Injuries
Preventable injuries in the parking lot can happen if the pavement is cracked or the lot has an inherently dangerous design.
- Overcrowding Injuries
Overcrowding can cause trampling and other disasters. Stores must have crowd control measures in place, such as strategic aisle placement and added security, for peak hours.
- Shopping Cart Injuries
Carts can topple over and injure children. Storeowners must repair or replace broken carts to keep customers safe.
Liability Laws Related to Shopping Injuries in New Mexico
Store owners have a duty to take reasonable measures to keep customers safe. If a customer is injured due to a breach of that duty, then the customer may be entitled to compensation to pay for his or her health-care bills, lost income and other damages.
A personal-injury lawyer can help you gather evidence to demonstrate liability and tie your injury to the accident. In many cases, this not only requires proof that the hazard existed but also that the store owner knew – or should have known – about it and did not respond in a reasonable way.