Negligence in a store is bad enough without property owners trying to cover up the negligence after a serious accident. A judge recently served up a substantial punishment to grocery store owners who were ruled to be responsible for injuries suffered by one of their customers. Florida residents may not be familiar with the grocery store chain involved, but it is important to keep in mind that the slippery situation could have happened at any retail store.

During a routine trip to a Kroger grocery store, a 49-year-old man was shopping when he slipped on some crushed fruit on the floor. He fell and suffered serious damage to his spinal cord. These types of injuries typically have enormous consequences on a person's lifestyle. The man had previously worked in the landscaping industry and could no longer work. Understandably, the man filed a suit against the grocery store.

According to court reports, the owners of the grocery store claimed that there was no video evidence of the accident. Besides claiming that the store deletes video footage after 17 days, the owners also claimed that there was no camera directed at the area in which the man suffered the accident.

Upon further investigation, however, it was discovered that there was a camera that was pointed in the area, but the property owners allegedly destroyed the tape.

Not only were the property owners found negligent for not keeping their store safe for customers, they were also convicted of destroying evidence. They were ordered to pay $2.3 million to the victim for the damages he suffered.

When a property owner exhibits negligence by allowing unsafe conditions to exist, innocent people can get seriously hurt. In these cases, it is important to investigate the situation and determine who may be responsible. Punitive damages may be awarded in many circumstances.

Source: UPI.com, "Slip-and-fall victim wins lawsuit," Jan. 27, 2012