Have you or a loved one been injured in a Kroger family store anywhere in the United States such as the West, Midwest, Southwest, Southeast, Mid-atlantic or Northeast? If so, you may be entitled to benefits and financial compensation according to your states personal injury statutes. Kroger is a giant corporation and they did not get to be as big as they are by losing money. Kroger views paying personal injury claims as losing money so they will do everything they can to not have to pay for your injuries, medical bills, lost wages, etc. They will protect themselves from the very beginning and you should do the same by retaining an experienced personal injury attorney who has experience handling Kroger slip and fall claims, Kroger parking lot accident claims and Kroger workers’ compensation claims.
Contact our network of Kroger injury attorneys today for a free initial consultation. They offer free consultations and they charge no fee unless they recover for you. Our attorneys serve those injured at Kroger stores throughout the country including Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The Kroger Company is an American retailer founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the country’s second largest supermarket chain by revenue ($93,598,000,000 for 2014), second-largest general retailer (behind Walmart), and twenty-third largest company. Kroger is also the fifth largest retailer in the world. As of February 2013, Kroger operates, either directly or through its subsidiaries, 2,625 stores. Kroger’s headquarters are in downtown Cincinnati. It maintains markets in 31 states, with store formats that include supermarkets,superstores, department stores, convenience stores, and mall jewelry stores. Kroger-branded grocery stores are located throughout the Midwestern and Southern United States. Kroger also is parent to several other chains, such as Ralphs and Food 4 Less in California.
Kroger’s employees are mostly represented by collective bargaining agreements (union employees). Seventy-five percent of Kroger employees are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.
King Soopers (Colorado)
Fry’s Food (Arizona)
City Market (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming)
Dillons (Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska)
Smith’s Food and Drug (Arizona, Idaho)
QFC (Quality Food Centers) (Oregon, Washington)
Jay-C Foods (Indiana)
Fred Meyer (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska)
While every slip and fall accident in a store has unique circumstances, there are some common causes to slip and fall injuries that may indicate the big business is at fault:
Wet, slippery, broken or uneven floors and flooring
Broken shelving
Dangerous items hanging from shelves or ceilings
Loose or unsecured rugs or carpeting
Ice buildup in parking lot or near store entrance
Car and pedestrian accidents
Most accidents are caused by one of the factors listed above, or some slight deviation of them. If you have suffered a slip and fall in a store, note the cause and gather evidence supporting your claim.
If you are injured in a slip and fall accident at a Kroger family store the business may be liable for the injuries that you suffer. Every business has a legal responsibility to its customers to keep them safe from injuries, and are financially liable when safety standards are not met and customers are harmed. The legal responsibility to keep customers safe does not mean that slip and falls at Kroger, Ralph’s, Food 4 Less, QFC, Fred Meyer, King Sooper’s, Fry’s Food, City Market, Dillons and Smith’s Food and Drug will always result in a successful injury claim, however, as large businesses are well prepared with experienced attorneys who are well practiced at defending lawsuits. If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident at a Kroger family store such as Ralph’s grocery store you should consider consulting an experienced attorney before taking any insurance or legal action.
In any slip and fall injury claim, the injured party must be able to demonstrate the defendant was at fault for the injuries suffered by proving the accident was caused by a hazardous condition that the store should have been aware of. The decisions about whether or not the condition that caused the slip and fall accident is considered hazardous, and whether the store should have known, can vary due to factors beyond your control, however, you can help yourself by quickly gathering evidence. After your slip and fall accident in a store, it is a good idea to record everything that happened immediately while it is fresh in your mind by:
Taking photos of the area
Noting, and taking photos of, warning signs, conditions of the floor, conditions of the products or aisles near you, and any other factor that contributed to the slip and fall
Getting names and contact information of witnesses to the incident
Taking names of every store employee who spoke to you
Writing down the facts as soon as you have an opportunity to do so
Representatives and employees from Kroger will probably not help you with this, especially those in management. It is on you and you need to take matters into your own hands when gathering the evidence necessary to prove the business was at fault for your slip and fall accident. Once you retain one of our Kroger accident attorneys they will take over the fact and evidence finding for your claim.
A large store such as Ralph’s, Target or Home Depot can be legally responsible for a slip and fall injury that occurs in the parking lot just as it can the interior of the store. As with any claim, you will need to prove the business was negligent by demonstrating the injury was caused by a hazardous condition the store knew, or should have known, about.
For example, if you slip and fall on a patch of ice outside of Dillon’s or Smith’s Food and Drug, your ability to recover injury damages will depend on whether or not store employees knew about the ice or should have known about it given the weather and the conditions where customers are likely to walk. If the injury occurred first thing in the morning before store employees had a reasonable opportunity to prevent the accident, then the store may not be liable. If the accident happened after several customers had complained or noted the presence of ice, then the store faces legal responsibility for the injuries.
Liability for slip and fall accidents in a parking lot depends on the same legal factors as accidents that occur in the store – the only change is the factual circumstances that drive the conclusion.
Not all Kroger accidents happen in the aisles or in the parking lot. Kroger family store bathrooms and restrooms are also incredibly common place for accidents to happen. These accidents can result in serious life altering injuries to the victim. These accidents are almost always caused by slippery or wet floors. Many times these areas do not have adequate signage warning patrons of the hazardous conditions. That coupled by the fact that people may tend to walk a a faster pace when they have to use the restroom makes for a very hazardous situation.
Everything you say and do after a slip and fall injury at a large business can influence the settlement you receive. You are well served by avoiding any contact regarding the injury with anyone, including family or friends and especially insurance adjusters or store employees, until you have consulted an attorney.
Immediately after the accident you may be required to fill out a slip and fall report form or contact a claims department in the store in order to officially put the business on notice that the incident occurred. If you must file notice of the accident immediately, avoid saying things like “I am alright” or “I’m good.” Statements like these can absolutely compromise your personal injury claim. They also have the capacity to make it significantly harder, and in some cases impossible, for you to obtain benefits and compensation regardless of how badly you are injured. Please only give the facts surrounding the accident as that is more than sufficient. Also, you are free to request time to contact an attorney before taking further action.
Big box stores such as Kroger stores, Target, Home Depot and Wal-Mart are experienced at defending slip and fall lawsuits, and have been known to take an aggressive stance in proving the store is not at fault. Some stores, such as Kroger and their subsidiaries, routinely defend serious personal injury lawsuits in court, and the company has stated that it prides itself in rigorously fighting slip and fall liability accusations. This does not mean that Kroger is an evil company and they fight dirty or bend legal rules. All it means they are well prepared and well practiced at defending slip and fall lawsuits. And so are we
With the possibility of an aggressive defense to your lawsuit a likelihood, you are well served by consulting with an experienced slip and fall attorney before taking any legal action. Most personal injury attorneys offer free consultations, and work on a contingency fee – meaning they do not get paid unless you win a judgment or receive a settlement.
Please do not hesitate to contact our team of Kroger accident lawyers to discuss your case. Regardless of the fact that Kroger is a giant corporation they still have an obligation to maintain safe property conditions. If they do not, and you suffer an injury, you may be entitled to benefits and financial compensation. Let our Kroger premises liability attorneys get you the benefits and compensation you deserve.