Help for the Pain

As the holidays loom just within reach, people who love a good shopping deal and who want to get the perfect gifts for their family and other loved ones are gearing up to hit the stores for all of the best prices and items. If you are among these highly competitive holiday and post-holiday shoppers, you may need to take some extra steps this year to ensure that you make it through the holiday shopping season safely. Get to know some of the ways that you can protect yourself in case of an accident or injury this holiday shopping season so that you are always prepared for any situation that can and/or will arise.

Report an Incident Immediately

Holiday shopping can bring out the worst in people, or can expose you to stores that are understaffed and therefore have issues with obstacles in the aisles, spills, and slippery winter conditions in parking lots and on sidewalks. All of these conditions can add up to disaster if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If you are out shopping and slip and fall on some ice or experience some other in-store injury, you will need to take some steps to ensure that you do not pay for this injury yourself out of pocket. First and foremost, be sure that you report the accident to the store manager on duty. The manager will file an accident report as is store policy.

Do Not Refuse Emergency Medical Services Examinations and Treatments

If you are injured during the accident, they will also likely contact emergency medical services and possibly even the police depending on the circumstances. Do not refuse medical examination and treatment at the time of the accident. If it turns out you are seriously injured or need follow-up treatment, you may have to pay for it yourself if you do not allow yourself to be treated at the time of the accident.

While you likely want to get back to your shopping and search for the best deals, you do not want to make up the difference by paying numerous medical bills that would otherwise be covered. So, take the time to get treated and save yourself later hassles.

Contact an Attorney If Things Do Not Go Accordingly

If you meet resistance from the store manager regarding reporting the injury or contacting the appropriate authorities and services, you will likely need a personal injury attorney to help you get any later medical care covered. Some managers do not want to file a report because it will affect their insurance rates. They also do not want any kind of blemish on their store record.

And sometimes even if the store manager is cooperative, their insurance company will resist paying for your medical treatments and will deny your claims. A personal injury attorney can help you deal with this resistance so that you do not need to stress yourself out unnecessarily.

Your lawyer will also be able to help you get the fair settlement you need should you have to go to court regarding your shopping injuries. So, if anything doesn't seem right to you or you feel as if you are getting undue resistance from any parties involved, do yourself a favor and hire a personal injury attorney just in case.

Now that you know how to better protect yourself this holiday shopping season, you can be sure that you are taken care of should any injury or accident occur while you are out and about on your shopping trip. To learn more, contact a law firm like Gartner Law Firm.