With its stores, restaurants, parks and other public spaces, Fayetteville is an excellent place to spend an afternoon or weekend. Nonetheless, few things can ruin a day on the town faster than an unexpected injury. If you sustain an injury in a public place, you must act conscientiously to recover fully, protect your legal interests and receive compensation.
Shopkeepers, hotel owners, landlords and others who open their businesses to the public have a duty to keep their premises safe. As you probably know, sometimes, businesses are either untidy or downright dangerous. Here are three things you should do if you sustain an injury at a public place:
1. Obtain a medical opinion immediately
To avoid liability, business owners may want to argue you injured yourself somewhere other than their place of business. Therefore, you should never delay seeking medical treatment for your injuries. Instead, go to the emergency room, or schedule a doctor visit immediately. Also, be sure to follow your physician’s instructions carefully to avoid making your injury worse.
2. Create a complete record of the incident
If you want to pursue compensation for your injuries, you likely must prove the business owner acted either negligently or willfully. To do this, you need a complete record of the incident. If possible, try to document the scene with photographs and a written explanation. Also, ask anyone who observed the incident to provide contact information. Witnesses are often an invaluable resource for proving responsibility.
3. Be careful with settlement requests
Business proprietors often want injury claims to go away as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, following an injury, you may be in no position to entertain settlement offers. Further, you may not know the extent of your injuries, expenses or other damages until some time has passed. Therefore, be careful about accepting a settlement request before you have fully explored your options.
With a bit of luck, you never have to worry about injuring yourself in a place of public accommodation. Still, because life has a way of intervening in your plans, you must act diligently to recover from an injury and preserve your legal rights. With some diligence, you can likely better position yourself for achieving a favorable outcome.