A woman has filed a lawsuit against Walmart after she slipped and fell in one of their stores back in June. The woman’s injuries were not detailed in the source article, but what we do know is that the woman slipped on some water that was left standing in the store. It is unclear if there were warning signs around the spilled water to alert customers to the dangerous condition. That will be sorted out in the lawsuit.
There are a couple of things to note here. The first is the spill itself. These happen so often in stores and restaurants, especially heavy retail and grocery stores (like Walmart). As such, they should have standardized procedures and protocols for how to deal with these spills in a timely and effective manner.
But this doesn’t always happen, and even when it does it may only be partially effective. For example, what if a worker just set down a warning sign but then never cleaned up the mess? What if the mess was there for an hour or so? Is that really protecting your customers? It’s hard to see it as such.
The other lesson here is that many slip and fall incidents end up being settled out of court. You shouldn’t see this as a “loss.” It is just the reality of many civil lawsuits. Both parties come together and work out a deal that resolves the matter without a court weighing in on the decision.
Source: Louisiana Record, “New Orleans Walmart accused of negligence in slip and fall case,” Carrie Bradon, Dec. 20, 2017