Steps to Take After a Slip and Fall Injury in a Grocery Store

If you slip and fall in a grocery store in Gaffney, it is essential to document the scene, report the incident, seek medical attention, and preserve any evidence. These steps protect your health and strengthen your ability to hold the store accountable. SC law allows you to seek damages if the store’s negligence caused your injury, but only if you can prove it.

That’s where help from our Gaffney slip and fall accident lawyers can prove beneficial. Our legal team at Parker and Bain can help secure that proof before it disappears and craft a strong case for maximum compensation.

Report the Slip and Fall Incident Immediately

Tell a store manager right away and make sure they create a written report because that record will become a critical piece of evidence in your claim. Without it, the store may later argue that the fall never happened or that it occurred somewhere else. Ask for a copy or take a photo of the report before leaving.

Document Everything You Can

Photographs and video taken within minutes of the accident are far more potent than a later description. Capture the floor hazard, whether it’s spilled milk, loose produce, or a damaged mat, before employees can clean it up. Note the lighting conditions, signage, and any security cameras nearby. If you can, collect the names and contact information of witnesses who saw the fall or the hazard.

Seek Medical Care Promptly

Even if you think you’re fine, see a doctor right away. Slip and fall injuries typically involve delayed symptoms, including concussions, hairline fractures, and soft tissue damage, which can worsen without early treatment. Medical records linking your injuries to the fall help establish causation, which is required under SC’s premises liability law.

Issues With Assigning Fault in Gaffney Slip and Fall Claims and How an Attorney Can Help

In SC, you can only recover compensation if you are 50% or less at fault, but your share of responsibility reduces your award. If the store claims you weren’t watching where you were going, or that you ignored warning signs, they’ll try to increase your fault percentage to reduce or eliminate your compensation. Fault disputes often hinge on:

• Whether the store knew or should have known about the hazard.
• How long the hazard was present before the fall.
• Whether the store followed reasonable safety protocols.

These factors are rarely obvious without investigation. A video showing an employee walking past a spill and clearly ignoring it minutes before your fall can make the difference between receiving compensation that won’t cover all your losses and securing the highest possible compensation specific to your case.

Without legal assistance, you may never see the key evidence needed to win your case. Grocery stores are not lawfully obligated to hand over surveillance footage unless required by law or court order. Your Gaffney slip and fall accident attorney knows how to demand, preserve, and use that evidence before it disappears. They can likewise handle negotiations with insurers, ensuring they can’t undervalue your claim by blaming you or minimizing your injuries.

Explore Your Legal Options with Our Gaffney Slip and Fall Accident Lawyers

If you’ve been hurt in a grocery store slip and fall, contact our Gaffney slip and fall accident attorneys promptly so we can secure the evidence, prove fault, and fight for the full compensation you deserve. Reach Parker and Bain at 864-252-2650 or online for your no-cost consultation today.