Target Slip and Fall Claims in Texas

Report the fall before you leave

Puts the date, time, and spot on the store's own record

Get checked by a doctor or urgent care

Your health first, and a record of the injury

Keep the photos and witness numbers on your phone

Shows the floor and who saw it

Have a lawyer ask for video and records

Footage can be lost

How long do I have to file?

Most Texas personal injury suits have a two-year limitations period. S6

Does a store incident report extend it?

No. A report is not a lawsuit.

Do talks with an adjuster extend it?

No. Negotiating doesn't substitute for filing on time and serving the defendant diligently.

Who should work out my date?

A lawyer, who should also identify the proper parties to sue.

The condition was unreasonably dangerous

A puddle of clear liquid spread across the tile in front of the dairy cooler

The store operator knew about it or should have known

Video shows the puddle sat there for 12 minutes, or a shopper told a cashier about it

The store didn't respond reasonably

No cone, no cleanup, and nobody blocking off that part of the aisle

The failure caused a compensable injury

Your foot slid in the liquid, and you fractured a wrist when you landed

Report

Tell a manager and ask for a claim or reference number

"Fell near register lane 6 at about 4:15 p.m."

Locate

Pin down the exact spot

Aisle number, entrance, restroom, parking row, or order pickup spot

Describe

Say what you saw, not what you guess

"I didn't see the liquid until I was on the floor."

Photograph

Get one shot from a foot or two away, then step back for a wider one

The puddle beside your shoe, then the whole endcap, the ceiling lights, and any cone in view

Preserve

Keep the camera-roll originals with their metadata

Email copies to your lawyer and leave the originals untouched

Witnesses

Get a name and phone number from anyone willing to give one

Someone who saw the spill before you reached it

Records

Save your receipt or app order

A receipt time can place you in that store

Belongings

Keep the shoes and clothes you wore

Don't wash or alter them unless you have to

Messages

Save every letter, email, and text from claims staff

Write down names and dates of calls

Recovery

Keep a short factual journal

Appointments, missed work, and tasks you couldn't do

Spilled merchandise in an aisle

The broken container, aisle video, and any cleanup record

Water near a refrigerated case

Service tickets for the unit and photos of the floor around it

Rain tracked in at the entrance

Weather that day, mat placement, and wet-floor signs

A curled or bunched entry mat

Photos from your approach and the mat itself

Loose packaging or an obstructed aisle

Stocking schedules and who was working that aisle

Broken pavement in the parking lot

Lease terms and repair requests for that spot

2:10 p.m.

Liquid reaches the floor

When the hazard began

Whether anyone noticed it

2:14 p.m.

An employee walks near the spot

A chance to see it

That the employee actually saw it

2:23 p.m.

A customer slips and falls

How long the liquid sat there

That 13 minutes is enough for liability

The liquid hits the floor at 2:22:40, seconds before the fall

Constructive notice gets much harder to show

A 2:16 p.m. written report asks for a mop in that aisle

Possible actual notice, even if the liquid barely shows on camera

The store's clip starts at 2:20

Nobody can tell from it how long the liquid was down

A justified window of video from every relevant camera

The minutes before the fall, not just the fall

Native exports, where the system allows

Compressed copies lose detail

Camera clocks matched to receipts and reports

Clocks drift, so times need an anchor

The State Bar of Texas lists Aaron A. Herbert as Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law. S1

It's a recognized specialty credential. It is not a ranking of one lawyer against another.

Texas Board of Legal Specialization requirements include substantial experience, references, continuing legal education, and an examination. S3

Those requirements are published and can be checked.

A contested Target case can turn on negligence versus accident, admissible evidence, expert choices, the store's defenses, and trial preparation.

That's the kind of work the specialty covers when a settlement offer falls short.

Who goes to the store, and how soon?

A name and a date

What if the video is missing?

A plan to check retention and other cameras

What facts could sink my case?

The weak spots, said plainly

Who watches the filing and service deadlines?

One responsible person

How are litigation expenses handled?

A clear answer tied to the fee agreement

What relevant experience can you back up?

Examples the firm can substantiate

You fell two days ago and still have the receipt in your wallet

The first 72 hours after a Target fall

You're worried the store will record over the camera footage

Preserving Target surveillance and other electronic evidence

The adjuster's letter says no employee knew about the spill

Proving actual or constructive notice under Texas law

You caught your foot on a curled mat edge by the entrance doors

Wet floors, mats, merchandise, and parking areas

You need to know who to sue and by what date

Identifying defendants, filing suit, and managing deadlines

Suit is filed and the store wants a corporate witness deposition

Discovery and corporate representative depositions

Someone mentioned hiring a flooring or video expert

Which experts may help and how their work gets tested

You have an offer and want to know what you'd actually keep

Documenting damages and evaluating settlement proceeds

The store's answer says you walked right past a wet-floor sign

Warnings, obvious conditions, and customer-fault defenses

A mediation date is set, or the judge has given you a trial setting

Mediation, voir dire, and trial preparation

Reasonable and necessary medical expenses

Bills plus proof of the amounts actually paid or incurred

Lost wages or lost earning capacity

Pay records, employer statements, and work restrictions

Physical pain and mental anguish

Treatment records and testimony about daily life

Physical impairment

Proof of activities you can no longer do

Disfigurement

Photos of scarring or other visible injury

Video shows the puddle sat for 20 minutes

No video of the aisle at all

Wrist fracture repaired with a plate and screws

Sprained ankle

No earlier injuries

An old injury to the same ankle

Can I sue if I didn't fill out a store report?

Possibly. Lots of people limp out without one. A report helps fix the time and the witnesses, but skipping it doesn't decide liability. Be ready to say why you didn't, and keep the receipt, photos, or texts that tie you to that store.

Does a warning cone end the case?

Not by itself. A yellow cone standing in the next aisle over, or one turned sideways behind a display, may not have warned you at all. One set out after you were already on the floor says nothing about what you faced before. But if a cone stood right in your path and you saw it, or you already knew the floor was wet, that can substantially affect the store's duty and the fault analysis. S5

Does Target have to give me the surveillance video right away?

No. Asking for it doesn't make the store hand it over. A lawyer can ask Target to keep the footage and share it, and use court procedures if needed. Keeping the video and getting a copy are two different things.

Will I have to testify?

You might. Most cases start with written questions you answer under oath. If the case keeps going, the store's lawyer may take your deposition in a conference room, and a trial would mean testifying in court. Preparing helps you give accurate, clear answers. It never means rehearsing a script.

Is Aaron Herbert the best Target injury lawyer?

Nobody holds an official "best" title for Target cases in Texas. Aaron's verified Board Certification is a concrete reason to talk with him. Whether he's the right fit depends on the firm's plan for your case, how it communicates, its resources, the fee agreement, and your facts.