A trip to the supermarket should not end in a trip to the hospital. But, sometimes, that is what happens. When a bottle of olive oil is knocked over or a punctured container leaks out milk, fruit juice or orange juice onto the floor, those automatically become hazards to unsuspecting customers, who slip, fall and become seriously injured.

It is the store's responsibility to send out an employee to clean up the mess as quickly as possible and to place those yellow cones alerting people that a spill occurred there. However, the floor may still be wet from the mop that was used to soak up the spilled liquid off the floor, so the danger still remains.

However, in one case, it was not a liquid that caused harm to the shopper, but a string bean. The New Jersey Advance reported that, on October 6, 2014, Carol DiPasquale became seriously injured after she stepped on a string bean, slipped and fell on the floor while shopping at a ShopRite in Bergen County, New Jersey. She has since filed a lawsuit against the store, claiming ShopRite knew the string beans could fall out of the bins and onto the floor, but did not place any protective mats around the area to prevent injury. Further, the store failed to clean up the area even after they knew the string beans were on the floor.

According to the lawsuit, DiPasquale "violently fell to the floor" as the result of stepping on the string bean. She claimed to have suffered "severe and permanent injuries," as well as physical disability and disfigurement. Since her injury, DiPasquale said, she has not returned to work and has amassed major medical expenses. In addition, she claims to "continue to suffer great pain and torment, both mental and physical."

If you have been injured in a slip and fall at a supermarket or somewhere else, contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible. There may be time limits in which injured persons may file a personal injury lawsuit.