Shell Gas Stations have been a part of Lexington’s cityscape for many decades now. As these stores continue to fill up tanks, they also strive to offer more and more services to their customers. Fresh food, espresso, and every soda imaginable are made to order. But when those items end up on the shiny floors, a slip-and-fall hazard is created. You could be the next person to walk through and lose your footing to suffer a painful injury.
For a victim of a fall at a gas station, the first call should be to 911 if you require medical care. Your second most important call will be to a local personal injury attorney. Before you talk to insurance representatives for Shell, make sure you discuss your case with Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, of Lexington.
By signing a document or giving a verbal statement to Shell’s representatives you could be giving up your right to the compensation you’ll need to pay your medical bills. Contact us for a free consultation on your case and find out what your injury is really worth.
Gas Station Slip-And-Fall Hazards in Lexington
Shell Gas Station locations form a ring around Lexington with several lining New Circle Road in all directions. There’s always one nearby.
Each location offers a lot of convenience for visitors no matter what they’re looking for, but the owners and operators of these stations owe customers more than just a fill-up and a cold drink. They are required to exhibit a “duty of care” for anyone who stops in. This care should extend from the gas pumps and into the bathrooms. Any obstacle should be cleaned up or fixed in a reasonable amount of time before it threatens your wellbeing.
We’ve all seen spills sit on the floor of a business for too long just waiting for an unsuspecting person to come along and fall. Gas stations may seem small, but they present several dangers every day to those who visit.
These are just some of the hazards a gas station owner and his employees can ignore for way too long:
- Weather Hazards – In Lexington, cold, wintry weather can stick around for quite a while. Proprietors are supposed to keep a reasonably clear path to their doors even during a storm. Tracked in rainwater and slush will create a slick mess. If ice and snow pile up too high and you get hurt, the local owner and the Shell Oil Company can end up liable.
- Hazards at the Pumps – Gas pumps see a steady stream of traffic all day long and each car can drop fluids including oil on the cement. The oil builds up and presents a very slick patch for any person purchasing gas. A fall in any direction could provide a hard landing, not just taken on a hip or back, but also a possible blow to the head. Potholes in the parking lot will send you into a trip-and-fall leaving you vulnerable to knee injuries and in the path of other vehicles.
- Spills Across the Floor — Spilled coffee, tea, and fountain drinks are all common culprits when people slip at gas stations. Bathroom floors are often the slickest surfaces imaginable for some reason.
- Aisle Hazards – Convenience store aisles are almost as cluttered as most grocery stores these days. Store displays and candy left to roll around on the tile, are all fall hazards and those metal shelves are just waiting to catch an elbow or cause a head wound. A trip-and-fall can also send you down to land face first doing damage to your nose, jaw and even cause you to lose teeth.
What Kind of Compensation Can I Get After a Fall at a Shell Gas Station
After an accident, injured victims in Kentucky aren’t given very long to file a claim against a gas station and its owners. Kentucky’s statute of limitations stands at one year from the date of the accident. If you wait longer than a year to try to gain support for your recovery, your case will probably be thrown out.
An attorney working on your side can help you prepare evidence and put together a strong case to send to Shell insurance representatives. If your claim is successful you can earn compensation for many of the hardships you’ve suffered and for many things you may not have thought of:
- Medical Bills: Not only the hospital expenses you’ve already collected but the cost of any medical care that will likely be needed in the years to come.
- Lost Wages: While you’ve missed time at work with your injury you’ve likely missed the paychecks that help you pay your normal monthly expenses. That lost time can be reimbursed.
- Permanent Disability or Disfigurement: A disability will affect your home life and may require expensive medical equipment so that you can retain your freedom. You could even need career training for a new job. A change to your physical appearance can cause emotional trauma and this added hardship will earn compensation.
- Psychological Anguish: Victims of serious injury can experience depression and anxiety. The cost of therapy will be covered and extra compensation may get added to an award for the emotional trauma involved.
- Travel costs: The expense of doctor visits, some of which may be out of town trips. You could have to leave the state to get operated on by a specialist.
Contact a Lexington Shell Gas Station Slip-And-Fall Lawyer
Accident victims often wonder if they need an attorney, and the answer is almost always yes. The Shell Oil Company will have a team of corporate lawyers and insurance agents all working to weaken your case. They want to avoid financial responsibility for their mistake and your injury at all costs.
Talk to a Lexington Personal Injury Attorney you can trust to be on your side and fight for your fair compensation. The attorneys at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, have that knowledge and a combined 100 years of experience helping clients get the compensation they’ll need to make a full recovery. To schedule a free consultation session to discuss your case, click here.
