Holiday Shopping Injuries: Five Factors That May Impact Your Case

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Stores, malls, and shopping plazas naturally see an increase in people during the holiday season. When crowds accumulate, there is more potential for injuries and harm. If you've been involved in a holiday shopping injury, then there are multiple factors that can impact your case. As you consult with a personal injury lawyer, different case circumstances will be broken down to determine the exact cause of your injury and possible parties that are responsible for the injury. Browse through the following five factors that could impact an injury case and make a difference on possible settlements.

Store Set-Up

Stores typically change their layouts during the holiday season to help with crowd control. If store layouts are not properly planned, you can easily become injured due to overcrowding and congestion problems. Possible problems that can occur includes trampling and falls. When this occurs, your attorney will work to determine how the store layout impacted the injury. Surveillance footage, store maps, and other incidents in the store will all be factors in your case.

Using your personal statement, you can recall how crowded aisles or a poor set-up caused your injury. If proper steps were not taken to help customers, then the store may be liable for your injuries. Along with the store, an attorney may seek compensation from customers that were involved with the situation.

Parking Lot Injuries

In some cases, a holiday shopping injury may occur outside of the store and in the parking lot. There are several elements of a parking lot injury that could become integral to your case.

Faulty Shopping Equipment

Store equipment gets a lot of use during the holiday shopping season. This can cause wear and tear to the pieces that you may have used. When the equipment malfunctions or breaks, it can lead to dangerous injuries and situations.

For example, if a cart wheel cracks or breaks while you push it, it can cause a dangerous fall or accident. If you're using a basket or cloth bag to shop, the bottom could break out and cause injuries if you trip and fall. The electronic riding carts may also malfunction in a store, causing crashes and physical injuries. An attorney will often examine the equipment and use it as a key piece of evidence to represent your case.

Spills & Dropped Merchandise

Crowded aisles can easily lead to spills and dropped items. When these areas are not sanctioned off or cleaned up properly, you could be dealing with a number of different injuries. This includes slips, falls, and possible broken bones. During an investigation, your attorney will attempt to use surveillance footage to create a timeline. This timeline will showcase when the drop or spill occurred, how long it took to clean up, or how long it was neglected for in the store. An act of negligence in properly cleaning a spill can make the store liable for your settlement case.

Emotional Damages

Along with physical problems, a holiday shopping injuries can create a number of emotional damages. All of this will be reflected through a pain and suffering statement. The statement showcases the emotional changes that have occurred in a direct correlation to your injury. For example, when the injury occurred at a specific store, you may have emotional distress when shopping at the store or driving by it in the future.

When the injury occurs near the holiday season, you may experience emotional stress as you are forced to change holiday plans or cannot physically shop in store. Use detailed passages to get your point across and create a compelling case. An attorney can also ask you questions and help you draft up a full statement.

It's important to go into any attorney consultation with a clear mind. This will help you give as many details as possible and can help the case move forward quickly. For more information, contact a firm like Walz Law Office. 


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