After realizing there was little in the house to offer guests coming for a party, a man decided to go to a Maryland grocery store for a few items. As he approached the refrigerated beer case, he skidded across the floor, slipped and fell. In trying to break his fall, the man broke his wrist and fractured his knee. Surgery and a two-week hospital stay were required. The man’s fall was caused by water on the floor near the beer case. To assess his claim, La Plata slip and fall accident attorneys could conduct an investigation of the incident and the injuries sustained as a result.

Duty to an invitee

A customer who enters a store at the express or implied invitation of the owner for the purpose of engaging in a business transaction is classified as a business invitee. A business owner or possessor has a duty to maintain the property in a safe condition and to conduct a reasonable inspection of the property to detect hidden dangers to protect invitees. If a hazardous condition is found, the owner or possessor should either: 

  • Repair the hazardous condition
  • Eliminate the hazardous condition 

An owner or possessor who cannot repair or eliminate the condition is required to warn invitees, such as customers, of the condition. Therefore, in the above example, the manager or owner possessed a duty to warn the man of the presence of water around the beer case. It is critical to preserve evidence of a slip and fall incident, and La Plata accident attorneys can provide support during the complex process of filing a claim. 

The attorneys of Mudd, Mudd & Fitzgerald, P.A. are committed to efficiently pursuing a client’s slip and fall claim. The firm represents clients in Southern Maryland and the surrounding areas who sustain injuries related to slip and falls.