Movie Theater Accident

When you go to see the next Marvel or DC film at your local movie theater in Seattle or elsewhere in Washington state, being hospitalized with a life-threatening injury is probably the last thing you expect to happen to you.

From slip and fall accidents caused by spilled popcorn and soda to trip and fall accidents caused by loose carpeting, from falling movie posters and other cinematic decorations to being assaulted by someone in a poorly lit parking lot on the movie theater’s property, there are many ways you can be injured. “Unfortunately, movie theater accidents do happen, and they can cause mild or severe injuries to movie-goers,” says a Seattle movie theater accident attorney from Russell & Hill – Injury & Accident Attorneys.

Seeking compensation for your movie theater injury

When you get injured at a movie theater, do not expect some dramatic music to play in the background, or have Liam Neeson knock down the front door of the movie theater and start investigating your case. Unfortunately, seeking compensation for your movie theater injury is hardly as exciting and cool compared to how you would expect your favorite movie actor to portray this situation on the big screen.

Here at Russell & Hill – Injury & Accident Attorneys, our results-driven premises liability lawyers will become your Liam Neeson to help you knock down the movie theater’s legal defenses and recover damages on your behalf. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for movie theaters to deny legitimate personal injury claims filed by injured patrons or agree to pay an unsatisfactory amount of money to settle the case.

Either way, you need to be aware of your rights to ensure that you are getting the compensation that you truly deserve. Under Washington state law, property owners and commercial businesses, including movie theaters and multiplexes, owe their patrons a duty of care. That duty of care is to maintain the property in a safe condition to prevent any reasonably foreseeable harm to movie-goers.

How to prove a movie theater’s liability for your injury

When a patron or movie-goer gets injured at a movie theater, and the injured party or his/her experienced Seattle movie theater accident attorney can demonstrate evidence that the owner of the theater or its employees were negligent or careless, the injured party will be entitled to compensation.

Movie theaters have a duty to ensure a safe environment for their patrons not only in the cinema hall itself where you sit and watch movies, but also walkways, restrooms, the main lobby, elevator, escalator, parking lot and all other areas of the property controlled, owned, inspected, and maintained by the movie theater.

Causes of movie theater accidents in Washington state

Some of the most common causes of movie theater injuries include but are not limited to:

• Slip and fall accidents due to wet and slippery floors. Since attending a movie theater means snacking on popcorn and drinking lots of liquids for the next hour and a half or so for many movie-goers, slip and fall accidents are bound to happen at movie theaters and multiplexes, because sometimes, the popcorn and liquids end up on the floor, and the movie theater’s employees have a duty to routinely clean floors to prevent accidents. As a matter of fact, slip and fall accidents are more likely to happen in the bathroom at a movie theater, which is why movie theaters have a duty to clean bathroom floors more frequently than other areas.
• Food poisoning. According to various studies, popcorn is not exactly the healthiest food choice out there, but when a movie theater sells expired, spoiled, or contaminated popcorn or any other food to patrons, movie-goers can even suffer from food poisoning.
• Falling objects. Unfortunately, those cinematic decorations, ornaments, movie posters, titles, and lightbulbs in and around a movie theater are not always properly secured and fastened, largely due to the fact that the movie theater staff usually installs them in a hurry to have everything prepared just in time for the screening or premiere.
• Inadequate security and lighting. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for movie-goers to get injured at movie theaters due to criminal activity on the premises. And more often than not, these criminal acts can be prevented by adequate security measures and proper lighting on the premises.

It does not matter how you sustained your injury at a movie theater. What matters is the fact that you were injured on its premises. Now you need to establish the movie theater’s liability for your injury. Seek legal advice from our Seattle movie theater injury lawyer at Russell & Hill – Injury & Accident Attorneys, by calling us at 206-516-2045.