Wet floors: Slip and Fall Hazard for You

• May 1, 2023
• Premises Liability, Slip & Falls

Spills, mopping the floor, walking in from the rain; water on the floor presents a slip and fall hazard. Wet floors may be a common everyday occurrence; however, you can easily wind up with serious injuries in a slip and fall accident suffering minor bumps and bruises to life-threatening head trauma and more.

Some slip and fall accidents are due to your own negligence and others due to another party’s negligence. If you have been hurt in a slip and fall accident while on another party’s property, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries under premises liability laws. In these cases, a personal injury lawyer can help you determine if you have a fall claim.

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Wet Floor Hazards

Wet, slippery liquids on the floor must be cleaned up in a timely manner. Customers, employees, and other visitors must be protected or warned of potential dangers, for example, by putting up a wet floor sign or a “watch your step” notice.

The familiar A-frame “wet floor” sign is probably the most common way commercial establishments warn visitors about this type of hazard. However, on-site visitors can be warned of the hazard in different ways, for instance, by using orange cones or taping off the area.

Warning signs protect business owners as much as they do customers, and that’s why they are so essential to use any time a wet floor occurs in a public place. Water being left on the floor is a dangerous condition that could result in fall accidents.

Slip and Fall Claims

If you have had a fall on someone else’s property where there were unsafe conditions, you may be able to file a premises liability claim.

In short, premises liability holds property owners legally responsible for accidents that occur on their property due to unsafe conditions. In this case, the unsafe condition is some type of water/wetness on the floor.

In a slip-and-fall claim, you will need to prove that:

• The establishment was aware of the wet floor or should have been aware of the wet floor
• The establishment failed to warn you about the wet floor (i.e., no sign or warning)
• You injured yourself as a result of slipping on the wet floor.

Ways you may be able to prove the establishment “should have been aware” or that a dangerous condition existed:

• An employee was in the immediate area of the wet floor and should have seen the wet floor
• The establishment failed to exercise reasonable care by periodically inspecting the premises and keeping the premises in a safe condition (i.e., regular upkeep and maintenance to ensure there are no unreasonable risks)
• Show that the property owner failed to take steps to fix a dangerous condition that existed on the property

A wet floor sign (or other warning) does not necessarily prevent you from filing a claim. If you prove that:

• The sign was hidden or there was inadequate lighting making the sign difficult to see
• The sign was poorly positioned
• There was no other way to go (i.e., the property owner did not provide an alternate route)

Your attorney will help you determine whether the “Wet Floor” (or other warning) sign did its duty to warn you and may ask questions such as:

• Can you describe the wet floor that caused the slip and fall?
• What was the condition of the sign? Was it dirty or broken? Was it in plain view?
• Was the sign written in words or pictures?
• What language was the sign in?

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DO YOU HAVE A SLIP AND Fall INJURY CASE?

Have you had a slip and fall and suffered a serious injury? Talk with one of our personal injury attorneys and we will help you determine who is liable for your injuries. Keep in mind, Missouri is a comparative negligence state and you could be deemed partially at fault.

What typically makes a slip, trip, and fall accident a personal injury or premises liability case is that there is some neglected hazard or a potential for a hazard while on another person’s property. An experienced personal injury lawyer familiar with fall claims and premises liability laws can help you.

Questions? Our knowledgeable staff is available at (877) 284-6600.

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RECEIVE A FREE EVALUATION FROM EXPERIENCED PREMISES LIABILITY ATTORNEYS

Slip and fall cases can be difficult to prove. To obtain compensation for your injuries, you need an experienced and aggressive personal injury legal team who knows what to look for and how to build your case. The legal team at Nash & Franciskato Law Firm is that team, having obtained substantial settlements for premises liability cases. Contact us for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.

CONTACT US FOR A FREE EVALUATION

• Missouri Slip and Fall Laws
• Find related blog articles: Slip and Falls and Premises Liability.

Past results afford no guarantee of future results and each case is different and is judged on its own merits. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published May 1, 2023. It was reviewed on June 14, 2024, for content and accuracy.