It is very much possible to slip and fall over a spilled liquid in a supermarket aisle, a freshly mopped floor in an airport, or any other property that is prone to wet floors. But regardless of where exactly your slip and fall takes place, what may not vary is your ability to pursue legal action for your injuries and damages. Follow along to find out whether you can sue a property owner over a wet floor and how a proficient Tampa slip and fall lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help you navigate any possible defenses that may be thrown your way.
Can I sue a property owner if I slip and fall on a wet floor?
Essentially, you may file a lawsuit if you believe that your slip and fall accident was beyond your reasonable control and rather at the hands of a negligent property owner.
As the plaintiff of such a claim, you must argue that the property owner owed you a duty of care upon welcoming you onto their premises. Namely, such duty of care entails fairly warning you of a wet floor or otherwise a potentially hazardous condition on their premises. In turn, you must prove that the property owner ultimately breached their duty of care with their failure to warn.
Further, examples of failures to warn that you may cite in your argument include the following:
- A property owner failed to post a yellow, A-frame “Caution: Wet Floor” sign near the spill until it was cleaned up.
- A property owner failed to barricade the perimeter surrounding the wet floor until it was cleaned up.
- A property owner failed to order an employee to stand in front of the wet floor until it was cleaned up.
Can I still sue if a wet floor sign was posted by a property owner?
You must accept the possibility that the property owner will make any conceivable defense to minimize your claims. With that, it may not necessarily help your case if the property owner can prove that a wet floor sign was posted near the spill. However, you may respond to this defense with any one of the following arguments:
- You may argue that the wet floor sign was poorly placed at a blind spot.
- You may argue that the wet floor sign was difficult to see due to the inadequate lighting on the premises.
- You may argue that there was no alternative path to take other than walking through the wet floor.
- You may argue that there was another hazardous condition that did not have a warning sign.
At the end of the day, the best way to ensure your financial compensation is to retain the services of a talented Hillsborough Counter personal injury lawyer. So please do not hesitate to contact Merricks Law Group, P.A. today.
