Slip & Falls at a Convenience Store

If you've been injured in a slip and fall accident at a Dallas-area 7-Eleven®, RaceTrac®, ExxonMobil®, Chevron®, QuikTrip®, or any other convenience store, call us at (214) 651-6100.

While many slip and fall accidents are caused by carelessness rather than a hazard, it's important to understand what the law says about premises liability and how it's applied to slip and fall accidents in Texas.

Gas stations and convenience stores have an obligation to their customers to maintain a reasonably safe environment for those who come onto their premises; failure to do so may provide the customer who was injured with a valid premises liability claim to recover compensation for their injuries.

What the law says about slip and fall accidents.

To put it simply, convenience store owners (and managers) have a legal obligation to make sure the premises are reasonably safe. A business owner, by law, owes a certain duty of care to their customers. When they breach this duty and someone is injured as a result, they can be held liable for the resulting damages.

Premises liability law can get very complex, but with regard to invitees (customers), a property owner must:

• Inspect the premises on a regular basis to ensure that there are no hazards (e.g. wet floors, uneven surfaces, debris in walkways, etc).
• Fix any known hazards (or hazards which should have been known).
• Warn visitors of any known dangers which cannot be immediately fixed (e.g. wet floor sign).
• Rescue any visitor who is injured while on the property.
• Hire trusted independent contractors and inspect their work (property owners can be held liable for their actions as well).

The strength of your potential claim depends on several factors, including the facts specific to your accident as well as your visitor status (invitee, licensee, or trespasser). As each case is different, our attorneys are happy to review the facts of your case free of charge and explain the legal options available to you; just call (214) 651-6100.

Common causes of slip and fall accidents.

There are a variety of reasons why slip and fall accidents occur in gas stations and convenience stores. Some of the more common causes include the following:

• Accumulation of snow or ice in the store’s entry way
• Floor mat that has gone wayward
• Display items that collapse or fall onto a customer
• Poor lighting
• Spills on the floor
• Plastic bags or other debris on the floor
• Parking lot hazards

The above list only comprises a handful of possibilities, but no matter what the cause of the accident might be, if you feel that the store knew (or should reasonably have known) about an unsafe condition and did nothing to correct the problem, let our Dallas lawyers help you file a claim. We only get paid if we win your case, and you'll never pay us a dime out of your own pocket.

Responsibility of the store owner/manager.

There are several situations under which a store can be held legally responsible for the unsafe conditions at the premises. Some of those instances include:

• The store owner created the unsafe condition
• The owner knew about the unsafe condition but failed to take care of it
• A customer is injured because of a spill in an aisle that the store owner either knew about or should have known about

All that being said, these cases are not always cut and dry. Just because someone was hurt in a slip and fall does not mean the store is automatically liable. For instance, it is unlikely a convenience store would be held responsible for injuries a customer incurred after tripping over a large display that was clearly visible to customers and common in similar stores. In other words, a customer must take reasonable precautions to protect himself or herself from clear and obvious hazards.

If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident in a convenience store or gas station in Dallas-Fort Worth, our law firm can help you with your claim. If you would like to speak with one of our personal injury lawyers about your case for free today, fill out the contact form on this page or call our office (toll-free) at (214) 651-6100.