411: Nail Salon Negligence

While infections, lacerations and loss of limbs might commonly be associated with hospitals, construction sites or car crashes, they’re not typically discussed in the same breath as nail salons. Nevertheless, while commonly thought of as leisurely destinations for relaxation and pampering, the fact is that nail salons can be breeding grounds for bacteria and thus a prime location at which people can sustain serious injuries.

Nail salon tools and appliances can, when not properly cleansed and used, prove incredibly dangerous. Unsanitary manicure/pedicure utensils and dirty pedicure footbaths, for example, can lead to a variety of injuries and subsequent illnesses, including but not limited to infections (staph, bacterial and/or fungal), scarring, pain, loss of limbs, and even death.

The possibility of death due to the unsanitary conditions in nail salons is not an exaggeration; less than a decade ago, a woman who allegedly contracted an infection transmitted through a pedicure foot bath died due to the complications of the infection.

The manicure tools, for instance, are sharp and if used recklessly can lacerate the skin of the customer. Aside from the pain associated with being cut, if the wound comes into contact with another dirty utensil or object in the nail salon, the customer can easily contract an infection, which could result in any number of things, from mild discomfort to a flesh-eating virus. The truth is that you can contract an infection even without having an open wound. California, for example, experienced a bacteria outbreak in salon foot baths.

Staph, bacterial and fungal infections are not minor health issues—they can be truly damaging to your health and thus you should actively avoid situations in which there is an increased risk of contracting such an infection. Nail salons are one of these places of elevated risk, and the risk is even greater when the nail salons are not kept immaculately clean and sterile.

State law mandates that businesses maintain safe store conditions—store owners have a duty to provide an environment for their customers in which their customers are safe from harm. While a business owner can’t prevent everything from happening—as there are unavoidable accidents—there are steps that business can take to reduce the likelihood of customers falling prey to injury on store premises. Nail salons are required to maintain an especially clean atmosphere, given the fact that in addition to the presence of sharp objects, the utensils and foot baths come in contact with countless customers, each of whom may bring their own bacteria into the salon.

The next time you or a loved one visits a nail salon for a manicure or pedicure, the personal injury attorneys at Aronberg & Aronberg advise you to make sure that the utensils working on your nails and cuticles and the tubs into which you submerge your feet are completely sterilized. You don’t know who was in that chair before you were and, as such, you don’t know what kind of diseases they might have been carrying.

If you have contracted a disease from utensils or appliances used in nail salons, there are options available to you. You do not have to sit with your infection and hope for the best. In addition to seeking medical care, you can and should go after the party responsible in search of financial compensation for your suffering. To schedule a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney, please contact the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg by calling 561-266-9191 or emailing daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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