During a pit stop at a gas station, you’re supposed to be focused on getting what you need as quickly as possible. But if you end up taking a painful fall because of an oil spill by the pumps or a slippery floor inside you might have to forget about getting out in a hurry. You might not be able to do much moving for a while.
If you are injured at a gas station or mini-mart like Speedway, you might be surprised to know that the store owners and operators can be held liable for your pain and suffering. Property owners are required to clean-up or repair potential obstacles in a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes they are negligent on these duties and that’s when innocent victims can get seriously hurt. After a serious accident, contact the attorneys at The Kaufman & Stigger Law Firm PLLC, for a free consultation on your options.
Gas Station Accident Dangers In Louisville
If local drivers need to fill up their tanks or their stomachs they don’t have to go far. Louisville has around two-dozen or more Speedway gas stations and convenience stores in the city.
The bright lights can be a beacon at night when drivers need fuel or a bathroom break, but while you’re there you shouldn’t have to worry about your safety. The parking lot, store aisles, and bathroom floors should all be safe places free of hazards.
Unfortunately, these duties go ignored at times. That can leave a lot of potential hazards lying around in wait for unsuspecting customers.
Employees can leave drink spills on the tile for hours and may only be eager to clean up after you fall. The parking lot can be icy or full of potholes ready to send you slipping or tripping. Even landscaping obstacles can be in your way and send you tumbling before you see them.
What to Do After a Slip-And-Fall Accident
In slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents, your injuries may leave you facing off against a local gas station owner to try to get help in your recovery. In other cases, it may be a nationwide chain and a corporate HQ you’ll be dealing with. In either case, it’s important to begin collecting details from your accident as soon as you’re able.
Try to document this important evidence:
- Safety first – If you need medical attention call 911. Don’t try to move if you’re in severe pain. Let paramedics know everywhere that hurts.
- Alert the manager or owner – Make sure company representatives or employees know what happened but don’t offer any other statements about fault or the seriousness of your injuries to anyone with the company.
- Take photos with your phone – Take out your phone and get images of the hazard that caused your fall. Take photos or video of any employee trying to clean-up or fix the hazard.
- Talk to witnesses and employees — Get contact information for anyone who saw the hazard or your fall. If employees will talk get their information too.
- See your doctor – Get injuries documented and pay special attention to pain that arises in the days and weeks after the incident.
Premises Liability Accidents In Louisville
After your fall you’ll want to file a claim to be reimbursed for all of your hardships caused by the accident. To build a strong case you’ll have to present evidence and prove the store proprietor was negligent on one or more of his duties. Premises liability laws allow for two primary ways to prove you were a victim.
The victim needs to show that the hazard was:
- Created by the proprietor, or
- The proprietor knew of the hazard and didn’t fix it in a reasonable amount of time.
Proprietors will usually claim they didn’t know about the safety issue. They might also say you should have been paying attention to your surroundings. It will be up to you and your attorney to prove otherwise.
And if you were partially to blame for your accident, that doesn’t mean you can’t win some money in a claim. Kentucky is a pure comparative negligence state. That means that even if you have to accept some fault in an accident, the owner and operator of the gas station may still have to accept a percentage of the blame. You can still win compensation for your pain and suffering, it just might be reduced by your percentage of liability.
Contact a Louisville Slip-And-Fall Accident Attorney Today
If you’ve been injured after a hazard at a gas station sent you to the ground you need to make sure your rights to compensation don’t go ignored. This accident wasn’t your fault. Talk to a Louisville Slip-And-Fall Attorney you can trust to be on your side and get you what is yours under the law. The attorneys at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, have that knowledge and a combined 100 years’ experience in helping clients get the compensation they’ll need to make a full recovery. To discuss your case, contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today, by clicking here to contact them online.
