Las Vegas Office: (725) 900-9000 Washington Office: (360) 200-0000
Van Law Firm
  • About Us
    • Attorneys
    • Sandy Van
    • Angela J. Campos
    • Burke Huber
    • Annual Scholarship
  • Practice Areas
    • Motor Vehicle Accident
    • Wrongful Death
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Uninsured And Underinsured Accidents
    • Personal Injury
    • Product Liability
    • Bad Faith Insurance Claims
    • Camp Lejeune Lawsuit
    • Nursing Home Abuse
    • Las Vegas Defective Drugs and Medical Devices
    • Sexual Abuse
    • Mass Torts
    • Zantac
    • Truck Accident
    • Swimming Pool Injury
  • Testimonials
  • Blogs
    • FAQs
    • Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Locations
    • Las Vegas Office
    • Washington Office
    • View All Locatoins
Get My Free Consultation
(725) 900-9000

Home » Blogs » Premises Liability » Supermarket Pallet Injuries and Liability

Supermarket Pallet Injuries and Liability

For the most part, when we think of all the ways we can injure ourselves in a store, we imagine slippery floors, falling objects, or burns. However, a large number of accidents also occur each year with relation to pallets, also occasionally referred to as skids. Every store utilizes these objects to unload and stock goods, but you’d be amazed at the damage they can cause with the help of a little negligence.

For a free legal consultation, call (725) 900-9000

Before we discuss the legal concepts surrounding these accidents and the injuries they cause, it’s important to note that any injury claim will require the help of an experienced personal injury attorney. Van Law Firm has protected accident victims’ rights for nearly ten years now, and we’re always pursuing new cases. Call our office nearest you to get started. 

How and Why Do Pallet Injuries Happen? 

Pallet injuries happen whenever store employees bring pallets onto the sales floor. To be clear, there is no law prohibiting this, it is just considered by stores to be a greater liability risk than necessary, and for good reason. Pallets are very big and heavy even when empty, and when loaded they can be extremely dangerous if mishandled. The standard wooden pallet measures at 40” x 48” which is a gigantic obstruction compared to other hazards that come to mind (puddles, falling objects, etc.). Every time a pallet–full or empty–is brought onto the sales floor, it raises multiple safety risks, including: 

Fall and Trip Hazards

Click to contact our personal injury lawyers today

Perhaps the biggest risk associated with pallets is their potential to cause severe trips and falls. As mentioned above, pallets are nearly 4 feet by 4 feet, and so they clog both aisles and open areas. Empty pallets are especially dangerous, as their low profile can make them difficult to spot right away unless you’re looking directly at the floor. 

Furthermore, their weight and construction make it difficult to move them without a jack, so if a customer trips on one it will probably stay in place and cause more damage than a lighter object would. 

Obstructed Views When Loaded

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form now

When pallets are loaded with goods, they can easily obstruct views for both workers and customers, which only increases accident risk. This can manifest in multiple ways– if an employee is transporting a full pallet, they will inevitably have blind spots on at least two sides, so nearby customers can easily be hit or rolled up on. 

Additionally, when stores have a lot of products to stock, they will sometimes place full pallets around the store to make it easier for workers to get goods on the shelf. If a pallet is placed in an especially inconvenient location, such as the corner of an aisle, it may cause collisions. 

Damage Risks 

Lastly, both full and empty pallets can do a lot of damage on the sales floor. Sometimes pallets are not in good condition or have been damaged in transport so that they splinter or collapse when moved. Falling goods can obviously cause a lot of harm to nearby employees and customers. In addition, employees utilize special pallet jacks to move them, and if they are lowered onto an uneven surface it can cause them to splinter or fall over. 

Suing for Pallet Injuries Under Premises Liability 

If you are injured on another’s property due to their negligence, that is known as a premises liability claim. All premises liability claimants must prove certain criteria or elements, including:

  1. There must have been a hazardous condition on the premises.
  2. The owner must have known of this hazard and neglected it or should have known.
  3. The hazard in question must have been the cause of your injuries. 

These cases can be very complicated, but if we apply the criteria through the lense of a pallet accident, it’s actually quite simple. For starters, a loaded or empty pallet is easily a hazardous condition, for the reasons outlined above. If you’ve been hit by one or it otherwise caused an accident, then it probably won’t be hard to argue that it caused your injuries. The major question, then, is whether or not the owner acted negligently. 

In premises liability cases, property owners have defenses too. Specifically, the hazard must be open and obvious enough to elicit fault and they must have adequate time to respond and remedy it before being considered negligent. If the pallet was tucked away in the furthest corner of the store and there were cones and warnings posted, it probably would not be considered open and obvious in terms of danger. Additionally, the question of “adequate response time” with regards to pallets can be tricky. Some may argue that all pallets pose a risk and therefore no response time should be given, whereas others will argue that the criteria should not change. In other words, if an employee places a pallet on the floor and you fall on it immediately, there will likely be spirited debate as to whether the store was owed an opportunity to remedy the situation.

Contact Pallet Injury Attorneys Today 

If you’ve been injured by a pallet or an accident that was caused by a pallet in a store, it is crucial to talk with trusted pallet injury attorneys as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to protect your rights, so give Van Law Firm a call right away. We will do everything we can to recover the compensation you deserve, and with a verified 5-star rating across all sites, our legacy is only growing. Call our office nearest you today.

No obligation consultations are always free.

Let Us Help You! Call Now: (725) 900-9000
We are available 24/7

Recent Posts

  • Rampant Water Contamination at Military Bases
  • 23-Year-Old Killed by Cop Car in South Lake Union
  • Is Your Baby Safe in a Shopping Cart?
  • Catching AI-Generated Content
  • Studies Link Hair Relaxers to Cancer

Categories

  • Accidents & Lawsuits
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Auto Accidents
  • Baby Formula Lawsuits
  • Bankruptcy
  • Burn Injuries
  • Bus Acciidents
  • Camp Lejeune
  • Defective Medical Devices
  • Drowning Accidents
  • Drunk Driving Accidents
  • Elmiron
  • Heating Pad Injuries
  • Insurance
  • Legal Alerts
  • Mass Torts
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Motorcycle Accidents
  • News and Updates
  • Nursing Home Abuse
  • Paraquat Lawsuits
  • Park Accidents
  • Pedestrian Accidents
  • Personal Injury
  • Premises Liability
  • Product Liability
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Sexual Assault
  • Slip and Fall Accidents
  • Swimming Pool Accidents
  • Swimming Pool Injuries
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries
  • Truck Accidents
  • Truvada
  • Whiplash Injury
  • Workers Compensation
  • Wrongful Death
  • Zantac

FAQs

What is a Short Sale?

faq thumb

Buying a home After a Short Sale

faq thumb

What is a Deficiency and Why Should I Be Worried?

faq thumb

Find Yourself a Passionate Lawyer Now!

  • Bellingham Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Boulder City Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Centennial Hills Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Henderson Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Lakewood Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Nationwide Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Washington Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Yakima Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me
  • Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me

Premises Liability Blog Posts:

Elevator-and-Escalator-Accidents- Elevator and Escalator Accidents 

Elevators and escalators are a commonplace convenience for all of us. According to data from ConsumerWatch.com, elevators in the United States make 18 billion passenger trips a year. While escalator...

Dram Shop Laws in Washington Personal Injury Cases Dram Shop Laws in Washington Personal Injury Cases

The laws surrounding most issues in the U.S. vary greatly from state to state. Firearms in California are treated differently than marijuana in Texas, and vice versa.  Alcohol legislation is no diff...

Amusement Park Accidents: Possible Causes, Injuries Amusement Park Accidents: Possible Causes, Injuries, Legal Claims

Amusement parks have been one of the most popular family and tourist attractions for decades. Every year, countless patrons brave the large crowds and long lines in order to feel a momentary shot of...

Everything You Need to Know About Las Vegas Casino Accidents Everything You Need to Know About Las Vegas Casino Accidents

It’s no secret that the Las Vegas strip is big business; indeed, the millions of tourists that travel to our city each year and the countless industry workers who facilitate their stay are a large p...

  • Las Vegas, NV
    1290 S Jones Blvd
    Las Vegas, NV 89147

    Get Directions
  • Lakewood, WA
    9311 Bridgeport Way SW
    Lakewood WA 98499

    Get Directions
  • Yakima, WA
    32 N 3rd St STE 304
    Yakima, WA 98901

    Get Directions
Van Law Firm

Van law firm is a personal injury law firm that represents individuals injured by motor vehicle accidents in Las Vegas, Henderson, and throughout Washington. We also represent workers’ compensation cases and people who have been hurt by defective drugs like Zantac, medical devices, and products nationwide.

Contact Info

1290 S Jones Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(725) 900-9000 (702) 800-4662 Get Map & Directions
9311 Bridgeport Way SW
Lakewood, WA 98499
(360) 200-0000 (360) 208-0248 Get Map & Directions
32 N 3rd St STE 304
Yakima, WA 98901
(509) 505-1000 (509) 272-0300 Get Map & Directions

Practice Areas

  • MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT
  • PERSONAL INJURY
  • WRONGFUL DEATH
  • PRODUCT LIABILITY
  • WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
  • BAD FAITH INSURANCE CLAIMS
  • UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED ACCIDENTS
  • NURSING HOME ABUSE
Expertise best personal injury attorney award America's Fastest growing private companies award Honoree Ribbon

Privacy Policy © Copyright 2023 Van Law Firm

Please consult an attorney for advice about your unique and individual situation. This website and its information is not legal advice, nor is it intended to be. Calling our firm does not create an attorney-client relationship. Until an attorney-client relationship is established, please withhold from sending any confidential information.