While it's understandable that spills happen in grocery stores, it is still up to that store to make sure the liquid or food product is cleaned up in a timely matter to avoid the possibility of someone slipping and falling. But, sadly this is not always the case -- and without warning of the possible dangers -- a person who was just planning on doing some grocery shopping ends up suffering from serious injuries with expensive medical bills.

Back in May 2008 this is exactly what happened to one now 49-year-old man as he was shopping at a Kroger grocery store. He ended up slipping and falling on some fruit that was crushed on the store's floor. The fall caused serious injuries to his spinal cord, which caused him to be out of work. In the end, his medical bills reached around $135,000.

Due to the perceived liability on behalf of the grocery store, the 49-year-old filed a lawsuit against the grocery store chain.

At the time of the slip and fall accident, attorneys for the grocery store claimed that an alleged surveillance camera that would have shown the fall was unavailable, as the camera was not pointing in the direction of the accident. However, lawyers for the 49-year-old did not take this as an excuse, and went on to show that the surveillance system did point to the exact spot where the man had fallen.

In the end, a judge sided with the 49-year-old, and the grocery chain was sanctioned for destroying evidence. The store was also found negligent, and the man named in the slip and fall lawsuit was awarded $2.3 million, which will hopefully go toward paying down some of the medical expenses he has already accrued.

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