A loyal reader recently sent me a Boston.com story about a woman who slipped and fell on a piece of prosciutto. ( Read Story Here). According to the story, the woman had been walking toward free samples when she slipped and fell on a piece of prosciutto, fracturing her ankle.
Slip and fall cases are heavily defended by the insurance companies and require a talented and experienced attorney who is willing to fight for injured people. In this case, the usual defense that will be argued is that the restaurant/store was not aware of the prosciutto on the ground, so they should not be responsible for the person falling and being injured. They will also blame the victim by saying the person should have been more careful while walking.
But if we all take some time to think about these defenses, I hope you are all as equally outraged by them as I am. Corporations and Insurance companies are in the business of making money off all of us. These companies are more than happy to take our money but don't want any responsibility when their actions cause harm.
In stores and restaurants, customers are often distracted by signs, displays and sales people. There is a science to grocery store product placement. Companies want their products placed in a manner that will draw our attention. They build "end caps," "islands," sample tables. They have sales associates walking the floor, trying to get us to fill out surveys. All of these obstacles are designed to draw our attention. They place the milk at the back of the store because they want to force us to walk past all the other items before reaching the most common purchased item. They want us focussed on their products. They want us looking in different directions. But if we happen to slip or trip on something while doing exactly what they are conspiring to accomplish, they will point the finger at us and say we should've been more careful.
Restaurants and stores need to take steps to make sure their floors are safe while they distract us and attempt to drain our money.
If you have been injured after tripping or slipping on something, don't allow anybody to blame the victim. Call an attorney right away. Call Attorney Andrew Silvia at Law Office of Andrew T. Silvia, LLC at (508) 960-9686 immediately for a FREE consultation.
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