Black Friday Injuries: When Stores Can Be Held Liable for Unsafe Conditions
Black Friday — bright deals, long lines, and, sometimes, real danger. When stampedes, overcrowding, slippery floors, falling merchandise, or inadequate security cause injuries, injured shoppers may have legal options. Retailers and property owners owe customers who are invitees (people on the property for the business’s purposes) a duty to keep the premises reasonably safe and to warn of hidden dangers. Virginia courts have repeatedly held that owners must use ordinary care to render premises reasonably safe — they are not insurers, but they must