Do “Wet Floor” Signs Prevent Me From Filing Slip-and-Fall Lawsuits in Delray Beach?

The classic yellow “wet floor” signs are common sights throughout Florida businesses. Their obvious purpose is to warn the public about the presence of slipping hazards, and they can potentially save lives. However, wet floor signs also serve a legal purpose. If you slipped on a puddle near a wet floor sign, you may be under the impression that a lawsuit is now impossible. Speak with a slip-and-fall lawyer in Delray Beach to learn whether this is true.

The Theory Behind Wet Floor Signs 

The theory behind wet floor signs revolves around “awareness.” In the context of a slip and fall, awareness can affect both the plaintiff and the defendant. From the defendant’s perspective, they become liable for hazards as soon as they become aware of them. However, there is also an expectation that the plaintiff (the person who slips) should take reasonable steps to avoid hazards once they become aware of them.

As a result, businesses use wet floor signs to shift liability to the victims. With a wet floor sign, they can make the plaintiff aware of the hazard. The plaintiff must then take reasonable steps to avoid the puddle or spill. If they fail to do this, they may be responsible for their own injuries, and a lawsuit could be impossible.

A Wet Floor Sign Is Not a “Get Out of Jail Free Card”

Although wet floors can protect businesses from lawsuits, they do not automatically make these lawsuits impossible. First of all, the sign must be clearly visible and legible. If a staff member places the sign at an angle that makes the wording impossible to read from your angle of approach, it may lose its legal significance. If the business owner creates a makeshift sign, scrawling barely legible words on a piece of cardboard, it also ceases to be a legitimate warning.

In addition, a business owner cannot rely on a wet floor sign indefinitely. This is supposed to be a permanent measure, giving staff members enough time to clean the spill or puddle. If staff members place the sign near the puddle and simply forget about it, this is still a legitimate form of negligence.

In a reasonable world, the wet floor sign should only remain in place for about 15 minutes at most. This is more than enough time for staff members to retrieve mops, buckets, and other tools and return to the spill. Victims may want to work with lawyers to determine how long the signs had been in place prior to their falls.

Can a Slip-and-Fall Lawyer in Delray Beach Help? 

While wet floor signs can potentially prevent people from suing in certain situations, you should speak with a Delray Beach slip-and-fall lawyer for accurate, personalized legal guidance. Even if a wet floor sign was present in the area, you may still have the right to sue negligent property owners. Contact Steinberg Law for further information on this subject.

Source: 

leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0768/Sections/0768.0755.html