Slip and Fall at Target: How to File a Claim
Target does not always take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of its customers. Target employees and store managers may fail to properly clean and maintain the premises, leading to issues such as slip and fall hazards. If you recently slipped, fell and suffered an injury at a Target in Los Angeles, learn how to file a claim to pursue financial compensation for your medical bills and other losses.
Immediately Document the Slip and Fall Accident
Like all other businesses and big box stores, Target has a duty to maintain a hazard-free environment for shoppers. If Target or its employees fail to prevent foreseeable falls, such as by quickly mopping up spills and posting wet floor warnings, it can be responsible for related slip and fall accidents. It is up to you as the injured victim to prove your premises liability lawsuit. This will take clear and convincing evidence of Target’s fault for your fall.
You can start to build your injury claim right away, immediately after the fall, by collecting evidence from the scene. Take photographs of the accident scene and the hazard(s) that made you fall. Talk to eyewitnesses and write down their names and phone numbers for statements later. Look around to see if there is a security camera that might have caught your slip and fall accident on tape.
Report the Fall to an Employee
Tell someone about your slip and fall accident without delay. Find a Target store employee and explain that you fell and may be injured. Request an official accident report, which will document the incident in detail. The accident report should include the exact time, date and location of the fall, as well as the name of the person who took down your report. The employee may also be able to help you obtain a copy of any surveillance footage.
Go to a Hospital
Medical care is critical for your physical recovery as well as your insurance claim. Go to the hospital closest to the Target right away for injury diagnosis and treatment. Common injuries suffered in slip and fall accidents in big box stores include broken wrists, hip fractures, muscle sprains and strains, back injuries, herniated disks, head injuries, brain injuries, and cuts and scrapes. Request copies of all of your medical records and bills.
Find Out if You Have a Case
You may have grounds to file a slip and fall claim against Target if the company or one of its employees was negligent and if this was the proximate cause of your accident. Negligence in premises liability law means that a person or party did not take the proper amount of care in maintaining their property. For example, if employees ignored food debris on the floor for three hours before you slipped on it and fell, this could be proof of employee negligence and Target’s liability.
Contact a Target Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer
If you believe you have grounds for an insurance claim for a slip and fall accident, start the legal process by contacting a Los Angeles slip and fall attorney for assistance. You can describe your accident to a lawyer, who will let you know if it has merit as a premises liability claim against Target. If so, and the attorney agrees to represent you, your attorney can take over the case on your behalf. Your attorney can contact Target’s liability insurance provider for you while you focus on recuperating.
Target is not an easy adversary in a slip and fall claim. It is a powerful corporation with a lot of resources to put toward an injury case. Hiring an attorney can help you go up against Target and its insurance provider. A lawyer can handle the burden of proof on your behalf and argue for maximum compensation for your injuries. For more information about how to begin a slip and fall claim against Target, contact Rose, Klein & Marias to request a free consultation.