If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident, you might wonder whether you have a case. The answer often comes down to one question: did the business do enough to keep you safe?
In this video, attorney Brian Dettman shares a real-world example from his morning coffee run. He spotted a puddle of water on the floor at Starbucks – with the ‘Wet Floor’ sign positioned several feet away from the actual hazard. Someone walking in the door wouldn’t see the warning before stepping in the water.
This is exactly the kind of detail that matters in premises liability cases. A business can’t simply put out a sign and call it a day. The warning has to actually warn people. If a sign is placed where customers won’t see it before encountering the danger, it’s not serving its purpose.
For anyone who has been hurt in a slip and fall, the question isn’t just whether there was a hazard – it’s whether the business took reasonable steps to address it. Was the spill cleaned up promptly? Was the warning sign visible and positioned correctly? Did employees know about the problem and fail to act?
These details can determine whether a business is liable for your injuries. If you slipped and fell because a property owner failed to properly manage a known hazard, you may have grounds for a claim.
Wet Floor Sign Placement: When Warning Signs Aren’t Close Enough
Is this a fall hazard? Should the sign be closer? I’m a slip and fall lawyer and I think it could be better! #slipandfall #injury #lawyersoftiktok #lawtok #fixed
https://www.tiktok.com/@dettmanlawinjurylawyer/video/7587061567372397855
I’m a slip and fall lawyer. I saw this when I was getting my coffee this morning. Wet floor sign – piso mojado – and then water over there. I’m thinking to myself, those could be closer together. Why did they put this sign over there? If somebody walks in that door, they don’t see the sign. It’s not on top of the water. Is this a case? Is there not a case? As lawyers, we’re trained to look for basically the worst things that could possibly ever happen. And I see this as a scenario where somebody comes in and hurts themselves. I moved this sign. I’m doing risk management for Starbucks at this point, apparently, because I go there every single morning for my coffee. Is this a case? Is this not a case? I think they should have moved this piso mojado closer to that water on the floor. What do you think?
