Fell in Wal-Mart? Should they pay my doc. bills?

Question

Okay, I use to work for this particular Wal-Mart a few years ago and they have always had a leaking roof when it rains. They never attempted to get it fixed, I mean it is a total mess when it rains. Well five years later, which was yesterday, it was raining and I was shopping in Wal-Mart. They had the WET FLOOR signs up like always. I was being really cautious of where I was going. I seen a bucket on the floor to catch the water and a sign by it. So I made sure to go around it. Well.. the next thing i know I am sliding through the produce section @ Wal-Mart and I land somehow on my knees with my legs twisted. When I finally got up I went to look @ where I fell, I could tell by the marks on the floor, and the bucket that was suppose to be catching the water was no where near the big leak. I went to the doc. today and I have two broken toes, a sprained ankle and a badly bruised knee with all the alot of skin missing from it. Should they have to pay my doc. bills? And why can't a billion dollar company fix a really bad leaking roof?

Answer 1

If I were you I would talk to an attorney who specializes in personal injury.  Wal Mart will probably settle out of court, but it is their responsibility to keep their premises safe for employees and customers.  They should pay your medical bills and something for your pain and suffering, and the attorney.

Answer 2

Wal-mart is famous for not paying for slip and fall injuries.

You can try asking them, and if they believe they are at fault then they might offer to cover your expenses.  If not you might have to sue to make them pay.

There are also statutes of limitations on filing a suit for an injury.  

The fact they know there is a leak will be very pursuasive if you have to sue them, if you can prove they knew and didn't fix the leak.

You should go talk to a lawyer.

Good Luck

Answer 3

yeah they should pay for it. Sue them.

Answer 4

well they had the signs and stuff and your being dumb

Answer 5

oh good lord.  

Answer 6

Should they pay your medical bills as a moral issue?  Yes.

Should they pay your medical bills as a legal issue?  Well, you have admitted that they did have the caution signs up to notify people of the hazard.  So, they probably would not have to.  Yes, you can still slip on a wet floor even with the signs and even if you are being careful, but they have a legal responsibility to warn you of the hazard and clean it up as soon as practicably possible and that is it.

You can always file a claim with their insurance company and see what happens.

How can they have a leak like that for years and not fix it?  How do you think they can sell their merchandise for a discount?  Because they cut costs in other areas, like fixing leaky roofs.  

Do you have someone on a television station that does investigative reporting of citizen complaints in your city?  Maybe they would be interested in giving this problem some media attention.

Answer 7

Did anyone see you fall? Did you notify a manager on duty that you fell? If you didn't  they can say they aren't liable because how do they know it happened there?  

Answer 8

That's why you should always carry a camera around with you! then you coulda taken a picture and proved it in court. Who's gonna believe you now? Did you report it to someone? Any witnesses? Yes, if it was a real accident then you should pursue it. contact an attorney. They will direct you in the right direction as to whether to pursue it or not.

Answer 9

Did you file an accident report?

No you CANNOT sue them but you can file a workers comp case.

Since you waited so long and did not file a report you are most likely Out of luck.

Answer 10

yup, that's the kind of case that give lawyers like John Edwards wood.

Answer 11

They sure enough should ... any atty would love to take your case.

Answer 12

you should make them pay and maybe sue them because your right a billion dollar company that cant repair a roof leak its  

Answer 13

Sure hope you filed an incident report while you were there. If you didn't it is going to make it much harder to collect.

I think the key to any incident of this nature is to communicate with them immediately. Communication now may allow you to get the medical bills paid without taking them to court.

Call them and let them know what happened and only use the courts as a last resort. If you have an attorney, let the attorney call the Walmart and speak to the manager for you.

Answer 14

Are you sure you're not just a bitter ex employee

Answer 15

they had a wet floor sign up they don't have 2 pay ur bill they told u the floor was wet

Answer 16

sure should

Answer 17

YES! they should have to pay.  I don't know exactly how you would go about doing it, but walmart is BS.  I try to not shop there, but its hard not to, esp. when you are on a budget.