Injured While Shopping? What To Do Next
As much as we all love shopping, and it is typically a safe activity, some hazards can make injuries unavoidable. The two most common incidents that happen while shopping – either a slip and fall injury or having something fall on you.
Shopping injuries generally occur when the store management team is negligent and doesn’t ensure that the conditions are safe for the customers. When you are inside a shop, the legal responsibility falls on that business to ensure its premises are reasonably safe.
If you ever get injured while shopping, below are five things you must do.
Right After
Get evaluated by a medical professional as soon as possible after the incident. Your injuries, no matter how small they seem, need to be your priority and the store’s priority. Be careful when moving around after the incident, especially after a fall – ask for help if you are in pain or are struggling to move on your own.
Call 911 if you have any doubts about whether or not you are fine – it is always better to be safe rather than sorry.
Inform An Employee Or Management
Typically following an injury – an employee or manager should rush to your side to assist you. If an employee doesn’t approach you, ask someone to find one and inform them to call their manager – especially if you are in an upmarket store.
Summarize what happened to the employee so that they go and get help. You can give a more detailed version of the incident when lodging an official incident report.
Gather Evidence
If your injuries aren’t too severe, now is the best time to gather photographic evidence and get contact information for witnesses who may still be nearby. Depending on your condition, take photographs of the incident zone – taking note of any obvious hazards that may still be lingering – such as cords or puddles.
The idea is to determine the cause of your incident and if there was any negligent behavior involved, or if this was simply an accident. This information is crucial for your Lamber Goodnow injury team, particularly if your injury was negligence related.
Lodge An Incident Report
Upon reviewing any CCTV footage of the incident, the store manager will likely want to complete an incident report with you. Pay close attention to how things get worded as it would be in the store’s best interests, to tell the truth, particularly if there are witnesses around.
Sometimes, depending on the store, the managers could be inclined to lie about the report. Read it carefully before signing anything and ensure that it is an accurate reflection of what happened.
Get A Doctor’s Appointment
You should see a doctor as soon as possible after you’ve left the shop where your incident occurred. Even if you feel completely fine, adrenalin can mask the symptoms of your injury and dull any pain that you should be in.
Get a doctor’s appointment and get thoroughly checked out, including x-rays and any other diagnostic imaging that your medical professional deems necessary.
