Watch Your Step While Shopping This Winter

The winter season is a hectic time for everyone. Whether you are running around doing last minute shopping, meeting friends for drinks, or attending parties, this is a time filled with fun and engaging activities. The last thing you want to have on your mind is worrying about personal safety.

Unfortunately, especially in New Jersey, this is a season of extreme weather. Whether it’s snow, ice, sleet, or wind, New Jersey has seen it all. Complicating the situation, businesses are often understaffed this time of year, while municipal workers will also be taking extra time off.

This means that at a time when retail spaces and public venues are most in danger of suffering from poor conditions caused by snow storms and large crowds, they are least able to deal with it properly.

The most common form of accident at a retail space is a slip and fall (or trip and fall) accident. Yet, whether it’s because of embarrassment or outside pressure, shoppers will often feel that they themselves are to blame for their accident, when the reality is that most of these incidents happen for one of the following reasons:

• Wet surfaces
• Uneven surfaces
• Snow and ice that hasn’t been cleared away
• Loose floor boards
• A lack of stairway railings
• Debris on the floor
• Torn or frayed carpeting
• Poor lighting
• No warning signs or cones

Under New Jersey law, it is the responsibility of the property owner or manager to maintain their premises in a safe manner. When an accident occurs, many considerations go into the determination of who should be held liable. For example, during a storm, it might not be possible to keep the sidewalk clear in front of a business, but once the storm has ended, there is an expectation that a shop owner will clear it off in a timely manner. If you or a loved one have suffered a trip and fall accident, you could be entitled to compensation for all of the associated expenses, including current and future medical bills resulting from the injury, pain and suffering, property loss or damage, permanent injury or disability, and lost wages.

Even the smallest retail business will carry liability insurance, and dealing with insurance companies when you are trying to receive compensation for an injury can be extremely frustrating. They will do their best to make sure you settle for less than you might otherwise be entitled to. That’s why it’s important that before you agree to anything, you speak with an experienced personal injury attorney.

The New Jersey slip and fall injury lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein, P.C. have been successfully representing fall victims for years. We can put our knowledge and resources to work trying to get you a settlement that is worthy of the losses you have suffered. Call us today at (609) 240-0040 to schedule a free consultation.