Residents all across Florida frequently visit nail salons for manicures and pedicures. As many patrons know, salons sometimes provide paper footwear to use after a pedicure. However, the inadequate paper shoes combined with an unsafe walkway could combine to result in a slip and fall, injuring a customer.

Recently, a woman was visiting a salon for a pedicure. After she was finished with the service, she attempted to put her shoes back on. However, an employee of the salon said she was not allowed to put her own shoes on and then supplied her with a pair of thin flip flops.

The salon was located inside a popular mall. As she found her way out of the mall, she exited via the main doors, used primarily to access the Dick's Sporting Goods store. She slipped and fell on a dangerous walkway and injured her left leg.

The woman insists that she may not have fallen if two separate precautions had been taken. First, the salon should not have forced her to wear the flimsy footwear. She was not advised, she says, that the flip flops were unsuitable for wet conditions. The flip flops were essentially paper and presented a number of hazards.

Secondly, the woman says the walkway in the front of the mall was defective and poorly maintained. The owners of the mall should have properly cared for and maintained the premises in order to keep patrons safe. The woman has filed a suit against Dick's Sporting Goods in addition to the nail salon.

It is the duty of Florida store owners to keep entrances and walkways safe for customers. Allowing hazardous conditions to persist undoubtedly exhibits negligence on the part of the owners. If a walkway is wet, a sign noting the condition should be present. If the concrete is uneven or unsafe, it should be closed off and fixed.

Additionally, the salon should have either allowed the woman to put on her own footwear or sufficiently warned her of the inadequacy of their flip flops in certain conditions.

The woman is seeking compensation for their negligence that caused the injury to her leg.

Source: The Record, "Woman blames Dick's Sporting Goods for injuries," Kyla Asbury, Jan. 10, 2012