WinCo Foods Accident Injury Attorney

WinCo Foods is a popular chain of grocery stores that was founded in 1967. From the start, the company was known as a no-frills supermarket with a focus on bulk items at discount prices. Many people consider WinCo Foods a Costco or Sam’s Club alternative, since you don’t need a membership to shop there. Currently, the company has 37 stores throughout California, and many of them are open 24 hours/ 7 days a week.

Stopping at WinCo Foods is a routine experience for most people, but these are packed and busy stores with a warehouse atmosphere. That leaves plenty of room for accidents, which can cause all sorts injuries for unsuspecting victims. If you or a loved one was injured while you were at a WinCo Foods location, please take some time to speak with one of our attorneys. You may be entitled to compensation under California’s premises liability law. However, succeeding in a legal action against a major corporation is very challenging if you don’t have an experienced lawyer by your side. During a free consultation, we can take the time to advise you of our rights and help you pursue an injury or wrongful death case against the store. Just give us a call and schedule a free, no-obligation case review.

Accidents that can Cause Injury at WinCo Foods

WinCo Foods is no different than any other supermarket when it comes to hazards that can cause bodily harm. However, the risk of injury is even greater at these stores compared to a traditional grocer’s due to their scale and size. As we’ve mentioned, these places are more like warehouses with their endless rows of heavy, bulk-sized products. All kinds of accidents can occur at a WinCo Foods, including:

• Slip and fall – this is the most common accident at a supermarket, due to the number of things that people can slip on, both inside and outside the store. Puddles of water, leaking appliances, spilled drinks, slippery tiles / carpets, insufficient hand rails, and no slip-resistant mats are some of the conditions that can lead to a slip and fall accident.
• Trip and fall –these accidents occur from tripping over something, as opposed to slipping. In a grocery store, this can happen from things being dropped on the floor. Or, workers can leave out step ladders, pallets, and various other objects that can lead to a trip and fall. Even stores displays are trip and fall hazards if they have protruding edges that are not clearly visible or stick out too far in the aisles.
• Falling merchandise – warehouse-type stores are especially prone to falling merchandise accidents. Heavy items on high shelves can fall and injure someone below. But objects that are not on shelves, like signs, light fixtures, picture frames, and stacked store displays, are also falling merchandise hazards that the store is responsible for.
• Parking lot accidents – in most cases, car crashes and pedestrians being hit are the fault of a careless or reckless driver. But supermarket parking lots may have confusing signs, poorly planned parking spaces, or other issues that can contribute to a parking lot accident.
• Shopping cart accidents – a lot of people see these as nuisances that damage their car, but there are many harrowing cases of people who were struck by shopping carts and suffered serious injury as a result. Some accidents are caused by carts not being corralled or gathered in a timely manner, but careless or poorly trained workers can also cause injury while they’re moving long rows of carts through the parking lot.
• Assault and battery – WinCo Foods stores are generally open till midnight or 24/7, which is a great way to draw customers. But late night incidents, like muggings, physical assault, and carjacking can happen due to a lapse in security measures. Alternatively, a customer or legitimate visitor (delivery drivers, for example) may be attacked by an employee of the store.
• Sexual assault – sexual violence at major retailers is more common than most people think, and it’s usually due to lax security measures or failure to secure certain areas of the property. Many of these incidents happen at night, as many WinCo Foods locations are open 24 hours a day. Bathrooms, parking areas in the back of the store, and sections with tall trees and hedges are the most common areas where someone can be sexually assaulted.

Essentially, a property owner or those acting on the owner’s behalf are responsible for keeping the premises free of hazards that can lead to an injury. This is knows as an owner’s duty of care, and failure in this area means that the victim can demand compensation for the harm they’ve suffered. In the next section, we’ll talk more about the hazards that can cause a grocery store accident and how WinCo Foods may be liable in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

Can I Sue WinCo Foods for an Accident at one of their Stores?

Your ability to sue WinCo Foods depends on whether the store owner or employees were negligent in their duty of care to you as a valid guest or visitor. As an example, let’s say you were in the freezer section when you slipped on some water that was leaking from one of the freezers. The store may not have been aware of this, but would they have known about it if they had cleaned and maintained the aisles on a regular basis? If the answer is yes, you would have grounds for a slip and fall lawsuit against WinCo Foods.

Keep in mind that this is straightforward example, and not all cases of injury are so easy to prove. In fact, it takes a great deal of investigation to connect the dots between your accident and a clear act of negligence by a major retailer. And you can be sure that the company will go out of their way to blame you for causing the accident, or accuse you of faking your injury or the severity of your injury. It’s also worth noting that big corporations have skilled attorneys, who know the legal process inside and out. That’s why victims are often unsuccessful when they try to file an accident claim on their own.

An experienced accident injury lawyer is critical to protecting your rights and recovering maximum compensation from a lawsuit against WinCo Foods. To learn about more about your rights and legal options, contact us to speak with a legal expert at our office.

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Common Injuries from an Accident at WinCo Foods

We can’t stress enough how important it is to seek medical attention right away if you’ve had an accident at WinCo Foods. Through our many years of experience with personal injury cases, we’ve seen more than our share of devastating supermarket injuries, which often get worse from not being treated right away. While we can’t list them all, here are some of the most common injuries you can sustain at WinCo Foods:

• Broken nose (and other facial bones)
• Broken or missing teeth
• Dislocated jaw
• Skull fracture
• Traumatic brain injury
• Fractured shoulder or collarbone
• Whiplash
• Spinal cord damage
• Ruptured or punctured internal organs (especially the spleen)
• Hip fracture
• Dislocated or fractured kneecap
• Tendon and ligament tears in the knee
• Ankle sprain or fracture
• Fractures in the hands and wrists
• Broken tailbone (coccyx fracture)
• Nerve damage or paralysis
• Coma
• Death

It’s costly enough to recover from a physical injury, but many people forget about the emotional trauma of being injured, especially from incidents like sexual assault. Don’t hesitate to seek mental health counseling if you experience flashbacks, insomnia, anxiety, or other signs of trauma. As for the issue of paying for treatment, that’s what we’re here for. Please come and see us as soon as you can, so that we can initiate an injury claim on your behalf.

Compensation from a WinCo Foods Accident Settlement

If negligence or misconduct by WinCo Foods is directly responsible for your accident, you are entitled to economic and non-economic damages through a personal injury claim. If the victim’s injurie are serious enough to cause death, loved ones of the decedent may be eligible to receive benefits through a wrongful death lawsuit. Below are the basic forms of compensation that can be recovered from these legal actions:

• Medical expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Funeral costs
• Lost wages
• Loss of expected income / benefits
• Loss of consortium
• Property damage
• Punitive damages
• Legal fees

You may not qualify for every single damage that’s listed here, but it’s more than likely that WinCo Food’s insurance company will lowball your settlement and try to deny you anything beyond immediate medical expenses. You are entitled to much more, and with our help, you can receive every penny of the settlement you deserve.

Statute of Limitations for a Lawsuit against WinCo Foods

The amount of time you have to sue an at fault party is known as statute of limitations. It’s crucial to get started on the legal process right away, since the courts rarely make an exception if you miss the filing deadline. In most cases, you have two years to file a lawsuit in California, starting from the day you were injured or the date of your loved one’s passing. However, the SOL may be longer depending on the type of injury you’ve suffered, as well as your personal circumstances. We can help you figure out how much time you have to seek compensation from WinCo Foods, so give us a call at your earliest convenience.

Average Value of a WinCo Foods Accident Case

Successful lawsuits against WinCo Foods can bring in a wide range of settlements. On the lower end, meaning the injuries are relatively minor, an injury claim may be worth around $15,000 to $40,000. If the injuries require more extensive treatment (moderate injuries), $75,000 to $350,000 is a more reasonable range. Case value increase significantly for serious / lifelong injuries or wrongful death claims, which may be settled for anywhere between $500,000 to over $2.5 million.

It’s understandable that you would want to know about the average value for one of these lawsuits. However, please keep in mind that your case is unique from everyone else’s. Using other’s people’s settlements to determine what you can potentially receive from a lawsuit is not the best plan. The better course of action is to contact our office and schedule a time to meet with our attorneys. That way, we can take the time to understand your situation and calculate a case value that’s tailored to your losses.

How long will it take to get Paid on my Case?

Injury claims take time to resolve, and we are fully aware of how frustrating it is to wait for your settlement. Sometimes, we get lucky and a claim is settled in just one or two months. However, a case timeline of 6 to 8 months is more realistic for most claimants. Depending on the number of complications that arise, which we can’t predict ahead of time, it can sometimes take over a year to negotiate a favorable settlement. The longest timelines are associated with lawsuits, meaning we are unable to negotiate a payment with the insurance company. Most likely, your lawsuit will be settled out of court with help from a mediator, but that process can still take another year or two.

The Legal Expert of Normandie Law Firm

Our attorneys are ready to advise you and fight for your rights if you are suffering due to an accident at WinCo Foods. We’ve represented countless victims over the years and recovered millions of dollars from supermarkets, big box stores, warehouse clubs, department stores, and shopping centers. Whether you need an assault and battery lawyer or a wrongful death attorney, we have a legal expert who is ready to assist you.

We also provide second opinions if you’re concerned about a pending accident claim or lawsuit. If you’re unhappy with your current lawyer or feel skeptical about their recommendations, please call to schedule a free second opinion. It’s possible that switching your lawyer is the best option to redirect your case if it’s gone off the rails. But you should always discuss your legal options with another attorney and make sure that you’re making an informed decision. These consultations are free, by the way, so there’s nothing to lose by taking some to meet with us.

Wherever you are in the legal process, there is no upfront cost when you hire one of our attorneys. We work on contingency, so we wait until the end of your case to recover our expenses. That means we only get paid by winning your case. If we lose, our Zero fee guarantee ensures that you are completely off the hook for any legal fees.

A lawyer experienced in supermarket accident injuries is waiting to speak with you. Contact us right away to learn about the legal actions that are available to you.

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