The Many Injuries Of Black Friday: Can You Sue?
Everyone hears horror stories about shopping on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Every year, it is something more unbelievable than the last. If you suffered injuries during a Black Friday kerfuffle or accident, can you sue? After all, you are there of your own volition. Here is what a personal injury attorney might have to say about it.
Car Accident
A car accident resulting in hospital bills, medical bills, and damage to your vehicle can happen on any given day of the year. It really does not matter if it is Black Friday or the first day of summer. If circumstances are severe enough to warrant medical treatment and car accident insurance claims, the accident is allowed a one-time lawsuit. You do have to act quickly because of the statute of limitations.
Scuffle in the Store
If hair was literally pulled out of your head, you are bleeding from cuts, bites, and head injuries, you were punched or kicked until you are covered in bruises, your bones were broken, you were trampled, and/or you definitely needed medical attention, you should sue. The tricky part is getting the store to cooperate and supply you with any security video that would show that you were injured. Your lawyer may have to request that, but the other tricky part is that you have to come to court with "clean hands."
This is the principle that states that when you are suing someone else for injuries, you cannot have caused harm yourself. If you fought back and hurt the other person almost as badly as you were hurt, the judge may split hairs and only award a fraction of what you expected, or they may dismiss your case entirely. This is a major point in any case. If the video shows that you struck just as many harmful blows, suing may not be a good idea. If you struck no blows at all, your case will be much stronger for it.
Boxes Dropped on Your Head
As you can easily imagine that along with having to worry about car accidents and fellow shoppers getting violent, you may also have to contend with products stacked to the ceiling in stores. These products are supposed to be stacked in a safe manner, but that does not mean that they will consistently stay put. When a box falls on a shopper, that is the store's fault, and you can sue the store for that.
Contact a personal injury attorney for more information.