According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), around one million people receive treatment in hospital emergency rooms for injuries sustained in falls yearly in the U.S. Falls can lead to severe injuries, including hip fractures and other broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, injuries to the spinal cord or the spinal vertebrae and discs, and soft tissue injuries such as sprained ankles and wrists. While falls can injure people of any age, they can cause the most damage to older people who struggle with declining vision, strength, and balance. Big box retail stores like Walmart frequently see slip and fall accidents. The sheer volume of shoppers who pass through large retail stores on any given day makes them hotspots for falls. So do common hazards inside stores like product displays blocking aisles, merchandise that has fallen off shelves or racks, and wet flooring due to spilled liquid or rain and snow tracked in by customers. Areas outside a big box store can also feature fall dangers, including cracked sidewalks, potholes, uneven pavement, and uncleared ice and snow. Your Rights as a Slip and Fall Victim Shoppers who fall and get hurt at a big box store like Walmart have valuable legal rights to compensation for their injuries. Lawyers refer to these cases as “slip and falls,” although the name can mislead you. You don’t have to slip before falling to bring a slip and fall claim. Any incident where a dangerous condition at a big box store like Walmart injured you in a fall could qualify as a slip and fall, no matter how you lost your balance. For instance: You slipped on spilled liquid in the grocery aisle; You tripped on cracked tiles in the entryway; Your feet got tangled on clothes that had fallen off a rack; or You lost your footing on broken pavement in the parking lot. Numerous parties could owe you money damages for your slip and fall accident. And you could claim significant amounts of compensation. Here’s an overview. Liability for Your Slip and Fall The law generally entitles you to seek compensation from anyone whose careless, reckless, or intentional actions caused your fall at a Walmart. You may also may seek payment from others legally obligated to answer for an at-fault party’s conduct, such as insurance companies. In most slip and fall cases, the owner, tenant, or manager of the property where the fall happened bears liability to the injured person. That’s because, by law, owners and others who control commercial premises must ensure the safety of their customers. So, if you fell at a Walmart, the law may require Walmart to pay your damages. But Walmart might not be the only party that owes you compensation. Another individual, business, or entity could share that liability or even bear it entirely. For example: The owner or operator of the shopping complex (if different from Walmart) A fellow Walmart customer whose wrongful actions contributed to your fall A third-party who caused the hazard leading to your fall, such as a construction contractor that fails to keep customers away from a store area undergoing renovations. An insurance company or self-insurance entity that covers an at-fault party’s liability to you. In other words, you shouldn’t necessarily assume that Walmart is the only party who may owe you compensation for a fall. Multiple parties could owe you money. Slip and Fall Damages As the victim of a fall at Walmart, you may have a claim for all physical, emotional, and financial consequences you’ve suffered. The law generally entitled you to payment for your: Medical expenses treating your fall injuries and any future complications of them; Other costs of adapting to or living with your injuries; Lost pay and benefits from work you missed while healing; Future financial losses due to the fall leaving you temporarily or permanently disabled; Physical pain and discomfort from your injury or medical treatments; Emotional distress caused by the fall and your injuries; and Diminished quality and enjoyment of life. Sometimes, the law also entitles fall victims to seek punitive damages to punish the at-fault party’s extreme or malicious misconduct. The amount you claim can depend on the severity of your injuries and their impact on your life, but due to the enormous costs of medical treatment, the total could reach tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.