Hurt In A Store? How To Get Paid For Your Damages

When you go shopping in a store, you are trusting the owner and management of the store to provide you with a safe shopping trip. However, just like everywhere else, accidents can happen in stores too. To find out what actions you can take to be paid for your damages, read on.

What Are Damages?

Both financial and non-financial damages may be owed to victims of store injuries. Financial damages include the dollar amounts of any expenses incurred because of the accident. That often includes these items:

• Medical expenses.
• Damaged clothing and other personal items.
• Lost wages from a job.

On the other hand, pain and suffering is considered a non-financial form of damage, but you can still be paid if your physical injuries are serious enough.

How to Get Paid

Follow these steps to ensure you are paid what you deserve:

1. Contact the store owner or manager and file an accident report. Stores are often insured against accidents, but you should follow the procedures and fill out any needed paperwork.
2. Go to the emergency room or your doctor immediately.
3. If you are unable to do so, have a friend or family member go to the store and photograph the hazard that caused the accident. For instance, if you tripped on an electrical cord, attempt to photograph the cord snaking across the floor.
4. If witnesses were present, get their contact information if possible.
5. Keep up with your expenses. For example, keep a list of medical bills, how much time you lost from your job, the cost of damaged personal items, etc.

What Else to Know

If your injuries were serious, you might have more than a minor accident issue at hand. You could be out of work for weeks and you might even be injured enough to require surgery or future medical treatment. If that is the case, speak to a personal injury lawyer. The lawyer can assist you in these ways:

• They can obtain video of the accident in some cases.
• They can help you understand how much money you are entitled to be paid.
• They can work with the store's insurance company to get you paid what you deserve.
• They can file a lawsuit against the store if they are unwilling to pay you what you deserve.

Find out more about getting compensated for store injuries by speaking to a personal injury lawyer as soon as you can.