What to Do After an Injury at a Store in Nova Scotia

It happens more often than you might think. A slip on a wet floor. A fall caused by uneven tiles. An injury from a product that wasn’t secured properly. Every year, Nova Scotians are hurt while shopping, dining, or simply walking through a store.

And when it happens, the aftermath is rarely straightforward.

So if you’re wondering: “What should I do if I get hurt in a store in Nova Scotia”, you’re not alone. These incidents can be both physically and financially disruptive, and how you respond in the first few hours and days can impact everything from your health to your ability to pursue compensation.

Below, we break down what you need to know—including your rights, responsibilities, and the role of legal advice in protecting both.

Immediate Actions to Take After the Injury

Seek Medical Attention

Your health comes first. Even if the injury seems minor—just a bump, or a little stiffness—see a doctor. Some symptoms don’t show up right away. Others, like soft tissue injuries or concussions, may worsen without proper treatment.

Medical records also serve as crucial evidence later. If you’re seeking store injury compensation, you’ll need to show not just that you were injured, but that you took it seriously and acted quickly.

It’s common for injured shoppers to initially downplay their symptoms, assuming the pain will pass. But delaying treatment can make it harder to prove that the injury was connected to the incident—especially if medical records aren’t created early.

Report the Incident

Tell the store manager or staff member immediately. If there’s an official form, fill it out. Ask for a copy. If there isn’t, write down who you spoke to and what was said.

Do this even if the staff seem dismissive. Reporting creates a paper trail. And if you don’t report it, the store may later claim the incident never happened.

Gather Evidence

If you’re able, take photos of the area where you fell or were injured. Was the floor wet? Was there a warning sign? Were items blocking a walkway? Try to capture the scene exactly as it was.

Get the names and contact information of witnesses. Even if they didn’t see the moment of the accident, they may have noticed the hazard or your injuries immediately afterward.

Understanding Premises Liability in Nova Scotia

When someone is injured on commercial property, the legal framework that applies is called premises liability. It’s part of personal injury law, and it deals with the responsibilities of property owners and occupiers.

In Nova Scotia, store owners have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe for customers. That includes regular inspections, timely maintenance, and clear warnings about potential dangers.

Failing to meet this duty can make them liable for injuries caused by hazardous conditions, especially when those conditions could have been prevented.

That said, the law also considers reasonableness. Was there enough time for the hazard to be fixed or marked? Did the store have safety protocols in place? These questions matter.

It’s also worth noting that the duty isn’t absolute—it’s based on what a reasonable store owner would have done under similar circumstances. If ice formed suddenly or a spill happened moments before your fall, proving negligence becomes more complex, but not impossible.

If you’re dealing with an injury at a store in Nova Scotia, establishing that the owner breached this duty is one of the key elements of a successful claim.

Common Causes of Store Injuries in Nova Scotia

While every case is different, many store-related injuries share common causes:

• Slips and falls on wet or recently mopped floors
• Tripping hazards from cords, boxes, pallets or uneven surfaces
• Poor lighting in walkways or stairwells
• Faulty escalators, elevators, or automatic doors
• Overcrowded aisles or merchandise falling from shelves
• Ice or snow accumulation at entrances

These aren’t just random accidents. In many cases, they happen because something was neglected—cleaning, maintenance, or basic safety procedures.

Seasonal factors also play a role. During winter, entrances can become especially dangerous if stores don’t manage snow and ice buildup. In summer, wet floors near coolers or air conditioning units often go unaddressed.

Understanding the cause of your injury can help determine who’s responsible, what could’ve been done to prevent it, and what steps to take next.

Documenting and Preserving Evidence

Evidence doesn’t just mean photos of the scene. Other kinds can support your claim and show how the injury affected your life.

Medical Records

Keep copies of everything: emergency room notes, prescriptions, referrals, therapy appointments, and diagnoses. These documents connect your symptoms to the incident and help quantify your damages.

Even small things—a change in medication, a new diagnosis, or delayed healing—can become important when building your claim.

It’s a good idea to organize these documents chronologically and note when each new symptom or condition emerged. That way, the timeline of your recovery stays clear and credible.

Personal Injury Journal

It may sound simple, but writing things down daily can make a big impact. Record your pain levels, sleep quality, emotional stress, and how the injury interferes with your work or family life.

Later, these details can help refresh your memory or show a pattern of ongoing hardship—something medical reports alone may not capture.

A journal can also help communicate your day-to-day experience in a way that resonates with insurers or the court, adding a human layer to an otherwise clinical file.

Financial Impact

Track every cost, no matter how small. Receipts for parking at the doctor’s office, cancelled travel plans, missed shifts, or hiring help around the house—all of it counts.

When you pursue store injury compensation, these details can support claims for out-of-pocket losses and demonstrate how your life changed because of the incident.

Even incidental expenses—like food delivery due to mobility issues or additional childcare—should be recorded. Small amounts accumulate and can influence settlement outcomes.

Reporting the Injury to Relevant Authorities

In some situations, especially for workers injured during the course of their job at a retail location, there may be an obligation to report the injury to Nova Scotia’s Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB).

Even if you’re a customer, there are scenarios where a report to a regulatory body could be relevant, particularly if the incident reflects a broader safety issue or if another party is involved (like a third-party contractor).

If the injury happened in a store but involved defective equipment, improper security, or hazardous materials, you may also need to inform health and safety regulators. These layers can overlap, and sorting them out early helps avoid confusion later.

It’s worth discussing this with a lawyer early, especially if you’re not sure whether your situation qualifies.

Understanding the Role of the Workers’ Advisers Program

The Workers’ Advisers Program offers free legal advice and representation to injured workers navigating the WCB system. While it generally applies to employees, not shoppers, it’s an important support service for anyone who might be injured while working in or near retail spaces.

The advisers can help clarify deadlines, appeal decisions, or assess how a WCB claim may interact with other legal avenues. Even if you’re unsure whether you’re eligible, speaking with them or a personal injury lawyer can offer clarity.

If you’re not sure whether you’re covered, or if you’re dealing with both a WCB claim and a personal injury claim, legal guidance becomes even more essential.

Consulting a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you’re unsure what to do after an injury at a store, consulting a personal injury lawyer early can help protect your rights. This isn’t about rushing into a lawsuit—it’s about preserving evidence, understanding deadlines, and avoiding missteps that could harm your claim.

A lawyer can also help deal with insurance adjusters. In many cases, stores are insured, and those insurers may try to contact you quickly, offering a settlement before you fully understand your condition.

In some cases, stores or their insurers may offer a quick settlement, such as a gift card or small cheque, shortly after an incident. While this may seem helpful at first, accepting a premature offer before understanding the full extent of your injuries can leave you undercompensated.

An experienced lawyer knows how to value your claim properly and prevent you from accepting less than you deserve. They’ll also keep track of timelines so that you don’t miss your opportunity to file.

Early legal advice can help you avoid that kind of trap.

Potential Compensation and Damages

If your claim is successful, you may be entitled to compensation for a range of damages, depending on the nature and severity of your injuries.

Medical Expenses

This includes immediate treatment as well as long-term care: rehabilitation, prescriptions, assistive devices, mental health support, and more.

Additional costs may include consultations with specialists, home health services, or travel for out-of-province treatment if required.

Lost Income and Earning Capacity

If your injury forced you to miss work or will limit your ability to earn income in the future, these losses can be included in your claim.

This applies whether you’re salaried, hourly, self-employed, or part-time. What matters is how your ability to work has been affected.

For younger clients, long-term earning potential may also be calculated, especially if the injury affects education or training timelines.

Pain and Suffering

This non-financial category of damages reflects your physical discomfort, emotional hardship, and disruption to your quality of life.

Courts consider factors like age, lifestyle, and prognosis when calculating this amount. While capped in Canada, it can still be a meaningful part of your claim.

Pain and suffering also cover things like social withdrawal, loss of independence, and sleep difficulties—none of which appear on a medical bill, but all of which are real.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Parking fees, over-the-counter medication, cancelled plans, childcare during recovery—it all adds up. These expenses are compensable as long as they’re connected to the injury and properly documented.

A lawyer can help ensure nothing is missed in the final calculation.

How Preszler Injury Lawyers Can Help with Your Claim

At Preszler Injury Lawyers, we’ve worked with countless clients who were injured while doing something routine—picking up groceries, browsing a shop, or grabbing a coffee.

These cases might seem straightforward, but they rarely are. Evidence disappears, memories fade, and insurance companies get involved early. Having the right legal team means having someone to handle those pressures while you focus on healing.

We’ll help you gather records, speak with witnesses, communicate with insurers, and—if necessary—fight to level the playing field.

Whether your case settles out of court or proceeds to litigation, we’ll be there at every stage to ensure your story is heard and your recovery is prioritized.

Your injury wasn’t your fault. But what happens next? That part, you can control.