Injured While Shopping? 4 Tips To Help You Get Compensation
When you go shopping, injuries are the last thing on your mind. Unfortunately, accidents happen, especially when stores don't protect against hazardous conditions – such as wet floors or loose packaging. If you've been injured while shopping, you need to do everything you can to protect your rights – even if management is playing hardball. Here are four tips that will help you protect your rights as an accident victim.
Don't Sign Any Papers
Store managers don't like it when customers get injured on their property. First, it makes their insurance rates go up. Second, it brings corporate down on them. Third, it ruins their safety numbers for the cycle. To prevent your injuries from ruining their numbers, store management may try to get you to sign papers absolving them from any responsibility for your injuries. Don't sign the papers. This is particularly important if you couldn't have possibly prevented the accident.
Avoid Recorded Statements
Once the insurance company gets involved, they're going to have investigators contact you. They may want you to provide a recorded statement pertaining to the accident. You should avoid this entirely. Recorded statements can hurt you and help them. The last thing you want to do is help them deny your claim. Recorded statements lock you into specific answers, even if you remember new details later.
See Your Own Doctor
If you've been injured in a store, you need to see your doctor as soon as possible, even if you think the injuries are minor. Don't go to a doctor that the store or the insurance company recommends. While their doctor will provide treatment for your injuries, they're going to be looking for ways to help their client – which is the store. You need a doctor who will be in your corner with your best interest in mind.
Hire an Attorney
If you haven't consulted with an attorney, you need to take care of that immediately. Your attorney will make sure that you receive the medical care you need, as well as the compensation you're entitled to. They'll also take care of the conversations between the business where the injuries occurred and their insurance company. If don't think you need an attorney, it's important for you to understand that the store will have an attorney working for them. You'll need one too. Consider a personal injury lawyer like Teresa P Williams.
Now that you've been injured, don't take chances with your recovery. The tips described here will help you recover from your accident.