What to Do If Injured While Christmas Shopping
| December 7th, 2020
For many people, giving gifts is the most rewarding part of the holiday season. Unfortunately, the chaos at shopping centers that often begins on Black Friday tarnishes that giving spirit and, in the worst of cases, leads to serious consumer injuries.
If you’ve had the misfortune of being injured while shopping or you simply want to know what to do if it happens to you, keep the following tips in mind.
Seek Medical Treatment
It’s most important to get medical treatment as soon as possible. First, you want to be sure your injury is diagnosed and treated by a physician. This will hopefully help you deal with the pain you’re experiencing and prevent the injury from worsening. Getting medical treatment will also establish a record of your injuries – specifically, what they are and when and how they occurred. That will be critical if you need to file a personal injury claim to get compensation for the damages you’re facing from your injury.Document Whatever You Can About How the Injury Happened
If at all possible, take pictures of the scene of the incident that led to your injuries. This means taking pictures of the place where the injury happened, the conditions of the property where it occurred or the injury itself. If there were witnesses to the incident, ask them for their contact information.Talk to a Premises Liability Attorney
Premises liability claims help injured people get compensation when their injuries were caused by conditions of the property. Premises liability claims can also help someone get payment when their injuries were caused by another person on that property, which is typically the case in negligent security claims. A premises liability attorney will be able to determine your best path forward when seeking compensation.If You’re Contacted by an Insurer, Don’t Give Them a Statement
It’s possible that you’ll be contacted by an insurance company representing the party at fault for your injuries. If you’re contacted by an insurer’s representative, do not speak to them. They’ll want to get you on record with a statement, and they’ll use that statement against you if at all possible. Tell the representative to talk to your lawyer and say nothing else.Examples of Shopping-Related Injuries
Causes of shopping-related injuries come in many forms. A few of the most common include:- An attack by one shopper on another
- A slip and fall injury caused by dangerous conditions in the store
- An injury from the product itself
- A negligent driver in the parking lot of a shopping center
