Have you ever spilled laundry soap? I have. I dropped a full container of Tide. It took hours to get the soap up, and I was still left with a slippery film. For weeks, the floor in the laundry room was just a little slippery.
Imagine how many soap spills occur in a laundromat. Most laundromat spills are minor, but if they aren’t cleaned right away, they have the potential to hurt people.
Laundromats—like all businesses open to the public—have a legal obligation to prevent injuries to their customers. This means that a laundromat should be maintained in reasonably safe condition and that any foreseeable dangers should be addressed. Slips and falls are a foreseeable danger at laundromats.
Some examples of slip and fall hazards at a laundromat include:
- Wet floors caused by leaking washing machines
- Wet floors from leaking sinks or toilets
- Spilled soap, detergent, or fabric softener
- Newly mopped floors
- Snow or rain that is tracked into the laundromat
- Icy walkways and steps
- Torn or damaged carpet
- Broken, loose, or damaged flooring
- Damaged steps or loose railings
- Broken washing machines
- Electric wires and extension cords
- Unattended laundry
- Garbage and other items left in walkways
When enough people are doing laundry, soap is certain to spill, washing machines will eventually leak, and laundry may get left in walkways. Because these conditions can be anticipated, a laundromat owner has a duty to watch for these potentially dangerous conditions and post easy-to-see warnings if a potentially dangerous condition cannot be immediately repaired. If spills, leaks and other dangerous conditions are ignored, customers may sustain serious injuries including concussions, traumatic brain injury, broken bones, and back and neck injuries.
Anyone who suffers an injury caused by a dangerous condition at a laundromat in Wisconsin has the right to seek compensation for their medical bills, pain and suffering and lost wages through a personal injury lawsuit.
If you or a loved one was injured in a Wisconsin laundromat, contact our attorneys in Madison at 1- 888-277-4879 to schedule a free consultation.