What to do when injured while shopping
ROODEPOORT – A customer was reportedly refused access to CCTV footage after she fell and injured her neck recently.
Sustaining an injury at a store and trying to hold the store accountable for the incident can be a difficult task, especially if management does not want to take the blame.
This according to local attorney, Vukani Mthembu of Excellent Legal and Commercial Solutions, who said the extent of the injury was the only thing that could prove the seriousness of the case.
Mthembu’s observations follow a recent incident at a grocery store in Roodepoort where a woman reportedly fell and injured her neck. After treatment at a hospital, the woman asked the store for CCTV footage to discern how she fell. She told Roodepoort Northsider that the store allegedly refused her request.
“It’s going to be difficult to prove the case if the customer sustained minor injuries. If she sustained serious injuries, causing her skull to crack, then a specialist will be needed to [prove the injury],” said Mthembu.
He added that the customer could also try to prove recklessness on the part of the store if there were no safety signs displayed.
A Facebook question was posted by the Roodepoort Northsider to get people’s thoughts on the incident. Melissa Doller Quinn said, “I think we should know which store that is. And if it is their negligence they must pay.”
Ashley Penhall posted, “I would hold the store liable until otherwise proven that they are not.”
