Like other large metropolitan areas, San Diego experiences a busy holiday shopping season. The retail workforce is expanded every year to meet the demands of increased inventory, customers and transactions. Workplace safety is unfortunately sometimes overlooked in the scramble. Workers who sustain workplace injuries as a result of the chaos of the holiday shopping scene should speak to a San Diego workers' compensation attorney, who can explain the no-fault workers' compensation system of recovering benefits for medical expenses and lost wages.
How Retail Location Injuries Affect San Diego Residents
There are many different ways in which shoppers and employees can be injured around retail locations. For instance, Fashion Valley Mall shopper was recently injured on an escalator. According to CBS 8, the woman saw that the escalator stairs were not moving but found that there was no sign indicating they were out of order, or warning shoppers not to use them. She walked up the non-functional stairs and was pierced by something sharp on one to the steps. The shopper tripped and injured her foot. The injury required ten stitches and caused painful nerve damage. Now, the victim is fighting with the mall and its insurance carrier to recover damages for her injuries. The insurer claims that the mall had no duty to warn the victim of the non-functioning status of the escalator.
Parking lot car accidents also pose a danger to shoppers and employees - especially those employees who are tasked with retrieving shopping carts and must therefore spend more time in the danger zone of reversing cars and chaotic parking. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports on a car accident in a Home Depot parking lot in Egger Highlands. An 80-year-old woman was pushing her cart across the parking lot when another vehicle struck her. The force of the impact knocked the woman down and she sustained a life-threatening head injury as a result. The San Diego Police Department did not suspect the driver of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The accident appeared to simply be a tragedy which occurred under the very real confusing conditions of a crowded shopping center parking lot.
Violence is another very real danger faced by employees and shoppers in retail locations. A 16-year-old suspect was reportedly linked to two violent robberies which occurred in the Gaslamp Quarter. In the second incident, which occurred at the Horton Plaza shopping mall, the suspect allegedly struck a man using his mobile phone, knocking him unconscious before stealing the victim’s phone. The Times of San Diego reports that the victim was taken to a hospital with facial fractures and other injuries. An even more serious incident occurred outside of a large retail store in Temecula. According to ABC 10 News, an altercation in the parking lot turned violent and eventually led to the stabbing of a 19-year-old who later died from his injuries.
There are many different ways in which San Diego retail workers can be injured on the job. Consult with a San Diego workers' compensation attorney as soon as possible. Workplace injuries can spur workers' compensation claims, but they may also be grounds to seek a claim for third-party liability from other negligent parties.