What to do when you are injured while shopping
Although most people do not consider the possibility getting injured when going to a store, there are cases of people being injured while shopping. If you were injured at a retail facility due to negligence of the store or of another person, you could have a potential personal injury claim.
What makes a viable claim?
In order to have a viable claim, you must be able to prove that the other party owed a duty of care and breached it resulting in damages. You must also be able to pinpoint where negligence occurred. Was it the result of another shopper, the retail facility or a product? For instance, you are shopping in a large retail store and a product falls from a very high shelf on your head causing brain and neck injuries. You would need to prove that the store breached its duty of care by not securing its products and for failing to create a safe shopping environment. You would also need to prove causation and what specifically resulted in your injury, such as an employee failed to properly stock the shelf. There could be several factors outlying why the incident occurred.
You must also have damages in order to file a claim. Damages include medical expenses, lost wages, or other injuries. If you were in fact injured and have damages, you can seek compensation. It takes much more than pointing fingers to be able to pursue a claim. Contact a personal injury attorney to help you work through your potential claim.
It is important to have things such as an incident report from the store, photos of where the incident occurred as well as any other documented evidence. An attorney can help you sort through all of this evidence and start investigations of the retail facility and its conditions. These cases can be very difficult to pursue, so be sure to set up a free consultation to get help on where to start. Many personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning that they will only take a percentage out of any awards for damages you receive.
For more information, contact our lawyers today.