Store’s waxed floor blamed for customer’s personal injury

Many slip-and-fall cases in North Carolina involve a store or other business that is open to the public with a mess on the floor. Snow or mud tracked in from outside, or spilled merchandise like salad dressing, can cause harm to customers if employees do not clean it up or at least provide a warning.

Ironically, another way stores can put their customers at risk is by cleaning the floor. A freshly mopped or waxed floor can be just a slippery as one covered by a mess. If the store allows people to walk on wet or waxy surfaces instead of directing them around the area or placing a caution sign, serious injuries could be the result. This is a form of negligence that could cause the store to pay for the victim’s injuries.

A recent personal injury case in another state illustrates this point. A worker at an Albertson’s location says he was badly injured after slipping and falling on the floor after it had been waxed. According to the suit, the plaintiff was walking toward the front of the store in December 2012 when he lost his balance and injured his right arm and body.

The lawsuit says that Albertson’s was negligent by forcing its workers to walk in an unsafe area. It is not clear if the area was open to customers. If it was, a customer could have suffered a similar slip and fall and been hurt as well.

Like the plaintiff in this case, slip-and-fall victims often suffer serious injuries that require expensive medical care. No one should have to absorb such costs for injuries that were due to someone else’s negligence.

Source: The Southeast Texas Record, “Slip-and-fall incident at Albertson’s blamed on freshly waxed floor,” Michelle Keahey, Sep. 6, 2013