The attorneys at Estey & Bomberger, LLP have dealt with many cases regarding injuries in big warehouse-style stores like Costco. The warehouse-style of each store enables them to hold large quantities of merchandise. Many of the products come in big, heavy containers stacked on top of each other. If employers don’t shelve these items properly, it can lead to serious accidents from falling merchandise.
We work solely on personal injury cases and have developed a reputation as a reliable and effective firm. Our success rate is 99% because we work tirelessly to help each of our clients and refuse to quit until we have made every effort to get them the compensation they deserve.
Common Injuries in Costco Stores
There are many ways that people can suffer an injury in Costco stores. People can also injure themselves by falling and slipping on wet surfaces around the store in addition to the enormous danger of heavy items toppling from shelves packed carelessly. The store is liable for anything that happens on their property, including in the parking lot. Slips and falls in their parking lot or injuries incurred because there wasn’t adequate light also fall under the store’s responsibility. These incidents can lead to a wide variety of injuries. You could suffer just a small cut, or you could suffer a serious injury that could impact the rest of your life.
What You Need to Win a Liability Case Against Costco
An injury sustained at Costco would likely be a matter of premises liability. To win a case of premises liability against Costco, you need to be able to prove that you suffered a serious injury and that Costco’s negligence caused your injury. The people who own and manage Costco have a duty to keep their customers safe and keep their store in good condition. This means checking regularly for conditions in the store that could hurt customers or employees. Management or employees must resolve dangerous conditions in the store or warn shoppers of the danger. If they knew – or should have known – of a danger and fail to resolve it, the company may be liable for its consumers’ injuries.
In a Costco in Los Angeles in 2011, a woman slipped and fell on water outside a Costco store from a contractor washing out a Porta Potty stall. She had to have surgery because of this fall.
The woman filed a lawsuit against Costco, claiming that the store had not adequately warned customers of the puddle and were, therefore, acting negligently. The defense lawyers argued that it was the woman’s responsibility to watch where she was going and that her lack of attention was the reason for the fall, not the store’s negligence.
The court ultimately ruled in the woman’s favor and fined both Costco and the contractor who caused the spill. In this case, the woman was able to prove that she experienced an injury and had to undergo surgery that she would not have needed without the fall. She was also able to show that the store had been negligent and that negligence led directly to her injury.
Costco Personal Injury Law Firm
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury in a Costco store due to negligence on Costco’s part, contact an attorney experienced in personal injury law at Estey & Bomberger, LLP. Contact their San Diego office today! (619) 295-0035