Subway promotes itself as a quick and healthy place to buy sandwiches, wraps, salads, drinks and other foods and beverages. It has numerous stores in Tampa Bay and throughout Florida. But food can drop to the floor. It can be tracked through the seating areas. Water from those Diet Cokes can spill. The tiles on the floors can crack. All these acts can cause you to slip and fall. Subway stores owe a duty of care to their customers to make sure their floors are safe, that no merchandise falls on them, that customers can see if they come in at night and more.
Florida law holds that owners of premises are liable if they don’t keep their stores safe. If the store owner knows or has reason to know of an unsafe condition, it is the store owner’s obligation to remedy the unsafe condition and prevent accidents. This is because customers have a right to focus on the food they’re buying and not their surroundings. After all, Subway is making a profit from their customers. It is also because Subway is the one that controls the premises.
What should you do if you fall in a Tampa Bay Subway store?
The first task is to get medical help. Medical problems can get worse if you wait. Waiting can also indicate that your injury wasn’t really serious. Don’t delay to get medical help. Some injuries, like soft tissue injuries, may not cause real pain for days. Contact store management for assistance if you need it. Then, see your family physician as soon as you can.
The second task it to examine the location. It’s your best chance to determine whether there was something in the area that caused you to slip and fall. Once you leave the Subway store, management will probably clean up the area – which means going back later to examine the scene won’t help. You should be looking to see if the conditions were something Subway knew or should have known about. Some indicators are:
- Broken tiles, tears in rugs, poor lighting, tread marks, any food or store products that were on the floor.
- Improperly placed chairs or tables
- Insufficient lighting
- Any food or food wrappings on the floor
- Liquids on the floor. Here you should look closely to see if is any reason to believe the liquid was there for any length of time. Look to see if the liquid was clear or not.
You should look to see exactly where accident happened. If it happened outside, was the accident in the exit/entrance area, the parking lot or somewhere else? If it happened inside, was it near a counter where you order or by a table?
The third task is to call an experienced premises liability lawyer
A skilled lawyer will be able to ask if there is any written record of the accident area. He’ll also check store emails and records of oral complaints. He will have an investigator examine the accident area and talk to any witnesses. He will examine the inspection routine and determine who is responsible for cleaning or correcting problems. He will also work with your physicians, your employer, your family and any witnesses to properly prepare the case for trial. Your skilled slip and fall lawyer will bring the claim in a timely manner and will negotiate with the insurance company and lawyer for Subway. He will also determine if anyone else might be responsible.
How Our Firm Can Help
If anyone you know has suffered because of an accident in a Subway in Tampa or anywhere in Florida, our law firm help you get the recovery you deserve. During this difficult time we will help you receive the maximum compensation allowed by law and we will assist you through every step of the case. Our team of lawyers works with medical professionals, valuation experts, technical experts and other lawyers. If you or a loved one suffered an injury or a death please call us at 1-888-WE-MEAN-IT (1-888-936-3264) or email us at: [email protected].
