Miami Personal Injury Attorney Blog
Living in the state of Florida, chances are you have heard of Publix. The chain of grocery stores, which is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, is expanding an incredible rate of growth, adding stores across the country.
In 2018, Publix boasted an incredible $36.1 billion in revenue in its annual reports. This is a whopping 4.4% increase from the previous year.
Amazingly, this sales rate puts the Florida-based chain on par with national giants such as Nike. For a comparison, in its annual report for 2018, Nike reported revenues just over that of Publix’s revenues at $36.4 billion.
All of this growth is especially impressive if you consider that Publix is over 80-years old. Its sales numbers put the grocery chain at Number 88 on the Fortune 100 list of largest U.S. companies. Moreover, the company’s net earnings come in at $2.4 billion, which is up 3.9% from 2017.
Publix has over 1,200 stores spread across the southern states in the US, with 51 stores opening in 2018 alone. The majority of the stores are in Florida, which has over 800. Miami-Dade alone has 32 stores and Broward has 50.
All of these stores means a lot of employees. The 2018 annual report showed that Publix has an incredible 202,000 employees. The grocery chain added approximately 9,000 in 2018. These statistics put Publix as the 30th largest employer in the country. For a comparison, in terms of number of employees, this puts Publix on par with chains such as CVS and Ford.
With all of these stores and employees, comes the increased chance of negligence and accidents. That is where the Florida Publix accident lawyers at Wolfson & Leon can help. If you have been injured in Publix, it is important that you know your rights and how to get your fair compensation. Your fair compensation can include: compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and even emotional distress.
Unfortunately, such a large national brand as Publix will have an incredible number of lawyers and personnel dedicated to fighting any accident claim. However, the good news is that as a large national chain, Publix likely carries premium insurance that is able to pay for any and all legitimate expenses.
In order to get through the throng of lawyers and obtain your fair compensation, there are several things that you need to know.
In general, store owners take pride in their businesses, and the employee-owned Publix is certainly no exception. However well-intentioned the employees can be, people can make mistakes and be negligent. That negligence can often lead to people getting hurt and some serious accidents.
As a retail store, Publix has a high degree of responsibility to ensure their stores remain safe and clean. This is due to the legal concept in US law called premises liability. Under premises liability, retail stores such as Publix have a general duty to the public or their customers (which are legally called invitees). This category of legal liability imposes on Publix a duty to make sure that the store grounds are kept in a reasonably safe condition. In other words, Publix’s customers cannot be unreasonably exposed to dangerous conditions.
Under this category of liability, Publix employees must continually inspect the store grounds. If any issue is found, the employee must quickly repair anything broken or clean up any messes that were present long enough so that the owner should have known about them. Thus, Publix is responsible for any injuries that are caused by dangerous conditions that the employees either knew or should have known about.
If a Publix employee discovers a danger, the employee must take all reasonable steps necessary to correct the situation. For example, if an employee discovers that there is a water leak in a vegetable sprinkler system, which creates puddles on the floor, then that employee needs to quickly place warning signs around the puddle and clean it up. If the employee just allows the puddle to remain and will get too it later, then the store will be responsible for any injuries stemming from the puddle being negligently left there.
While you may not think it, a store can be full of dangers. Stores can have everything from a slippery floor to uneven broken stairs. Products could have even fallen from the shelves and blocked the walkways. Publix could also be responsible for maintaining the parking lot, so any potholes or inadequate lighting could be a serious hazard.
Further examples of hazards include:
- Exposed wires, pins, or nails at any Florida Publix.
- Cracked ceilings or uneven floors at a Florida Publix supermarket.
- Slippery parking lines or debris in a Florida Publix parking lot.
As for injuries, one of the most common injuries people suffer in stores is slip and falls or trip and falls. Such accidents are by their very nature a surprise, it is very important that you are prepared and know what to do when you are involved in an accident.
Publix Evidence of Negligence in Florida
The most important thing to remember is that you need to collect evidence! In essence, the more evidence you can gather, the stronger your case will be. Photographs are one of the strongest forms of evidence due to their visual nature. Fortunately, everyone has a camera phone now, so it is not too difficult to photograph the scene of the accident. For example, if you slipped in a puddle in the middle of Publix, be sure to take a picture of the puddle and the area immediately surrounding it.
You should also speak with an employee, specifically a manager if possible. Be sure to record your experience as quickly as you can, and whatever the employee says. Memory fades quickly, so it is best to jot down as much of what happened as soon as you can. Be sure to include as much detail as possible.
After all of this, it is incredibly important for you to contact a Florida Publix supermarket accident lawyer that handles such accidents. Wolfson & Leon has fought for the rights of injury victims since 1963 in Florida and they are ready to help you too. They have offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and West Palm Beach. Free consultations for everyone and they never charge a fee unless they make a recovery for you. If you were injured in a Florida Publix supermarket call Wolfson & Leon personal injury lawyers: