A Palm Beach County resident has taken legal action against a major retail chain, alleging negligence that led to severe injuries. Maribel Collado filed a complaint against Wal-Mart Stores East, LP in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Florida, on August 23, 2024.
According to the court documents, Collado claims that she was injured while shopping at the Walmart located at 4375 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach on January 1, 2024. The plaintiff alleges that Walmart failed to maintain its premises in a reasonably safe condition, leading her to slip and fall on a wet and slippery surface inside the store. Collado asserts that Walmart had a duty of care to ensure the safety of its customers but breached this duty by not implementing adequate policies and procedures for identifying and correcting dangerous conditions.
The complaint outlines several specific allegations against Walmart. It accuses the company of failing to train its employees properly to identify and rectify hazardous conditions like wet floors. Additionally, it alleges that Walmart did not have sufficient policies for evaluating whether the store's flooring posed a danger when wet or slippery. Collado's legal team argues that these lapses created a "foreseeable zone of risk" for customers.
Collado further contends that Walmart neglected to inspect or test the premises adequately to ensure they were safe for customers. The lawsuit points out multiple failures, including not placing water-absorbent mats or warning signs where floors were wet and slippery. These oversights allegedly resulted in Collado suffering serious and permanent bodily injuries when she slipped and fell.
As a result of these alleged failures, Collado claims she has endured significant pain and suffering, disability, physical impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of capacity for enjoyment of life, aggravation of pre-existing conditions, medical expenses, lost earnings both past and future, and other related costs. She asserts that these damages are either permanent or continuing in nature.
Collado is seeking judgment against Walmart for damages exceeding $50,000. She is also requesting compensation for all taxable costs associated with the case and any additional relief deemed appropriate by the court.
The case is being handled by Francesca Vigna from The Injury Firm based in Fort Lauderdale. The Case ID is: 502024CA008031 XXXAMB Div: AG.