Protecting Yourself Against A New Haven Slip And Fall Accident At The Mall
June 14, 2024
School is out for the summer and as the temperatures climb you may find more and more people heading to the cool air conditioned area malls. When this happens the risk of experiencing a New Haven slip and fall accident is likely to increase with increased foot traffic and more hours spent just browsing area shops. It’s for this reason that you should have a conversation with your kids and also have an understanding of how you can stay safe while you’re shopping so a day of browsing doesn’t turn into a day at the emergency room.
When you’re thinking about visiting the mall you may want to map out your plan so you know where you are going to be shopping and how you will get there. To some, this may seem a bit excessive, but the more prepared you are the safer you will be. If you are not going to map out your plan, you may still want to talk about what stores you want to visit so you can limit your time going up and down escalators which can be serious tripping and falling hazards that you might face while you’re at the mall.
Another thing you can do before you head to the mall is make sure you are going to have a shopping partner. You should try to go to the mall with at least one other person so if an incident does occur you have someone there with you who can take action to remedy whatever the situation may be. You don’t have to call it your mall buddy, but it’s sort of like a mall buddy who can be by your side in the event that an incident were to happen. It may seem a little corny to do this, so it’s completely understandable if you don’t want to even talk about this, but you can have it in the back of your mind to make sure that you are taking this step to keep yourself free from harm when you are visiting your favorite shops.
Once you get to the mall you will want to be on the lookout for certain hazards that can cause you harm while shopping. These hazards may not be extremely visible so you need to be vigilant in looking for them and mind your steps as you walk around them. If you take the appropriate safety precautions you should have nothing to worry about at the mall.
Step #1: Watch your step. The culprit in a lot of slip and fall accidents that happen at the mall is wet floors. Wet floors are quite common at a mall. They may occur because someone spilled something or because the cleaning crew just recently came through to make the floors all nice and shiny, but left them a little bit wet. If you notice that the floor you are on or the floor in front of you is a little wet you should try to remove yourself from that section of the floor as soon as possible. Another possible issue is uneven surfaces which can cause you to trip and get injured. You should pay particular attention to sidewalks and curbs in this case so you can avoid tripping over an uneven surface and injuring yourself while you’re at the mall.
Step #2: Be on the lookout around crowds. It may seem odd, but the summer months bring out a lot of people to the mall and these shopping plazas can get quite crowded. When you are in a crowd of people the chances that you are going to be stepped on or tripped can grow exponentially. Wearing things like open toed shoes or shoes with laces untied can put you in an even more dangerous scenario so you will want to avoid these types of footwear. As you make your way through crowds you will want to take your time, move slowly and watch your step as best you can. If you can maintain a steady pace and avoid any indirect contact with others you will be putting yourself in the best possible situation to avoid an injury of any kind.
Step #3: Watch For Displays. Malls are not only crowded with people, but they have also become quite crowded with little pop up shops and displays that are just into the natural walking path of anyone who is shopping. These displays and shops are designed to catch your attention and if you’re not careful they might catch more than just your attention. If you’re not paying attention around these items you might find yourself being tripped unexpectedly by one and causing yourself to get injured. In order to prevent this you will want to find the middle of path you are walking down the mall in and make sure you stay there as best you can do you can avoid any unnecessary close encounters with these displays or pop up shops that could put you at risk.
A trip to the mall can be relaxing for some people and can also provide a cool place to spend some hot summer days, but it can also become dangerous if you’re not careful. Getting involved in a New Haven slip and fall accident can put a damper on your shopping excursion to the mall and land you in the emergency room rather than the fitting room. Take your time when you’re shopping and go with a few people so you can all be vigilant together and not get into a situation that is dangerous can could cause you to get injured.
Even if you take all the safety precautions you can you still may find yourself in a situation where you’ve been injured as the result of a trip to the mall. Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.