People go on vacation to relax and have fun, but unfortunately, accidents can happen and sometimes vacationers wind up injured while away on a trip. We’ll take a look at a few common accidents that happen on vacation, and what to do if one of them happens to you.
If you find yourself in this situation, call Langdon & Emison at (866) 931-2115. We can help obtain compensation for your injuries and other expenses related to the incident.
Common Injuries on Vacation
There are many ways you can get hurt while on vacation. Here are a few of the most common injury-causing scenarios that occur on trips:
Car Accidents
If you’re taking a road trip during your vacation, what started as a fun car ride with friends or family can suddenly turn into a dangerous situation if you are in a car accident. Some cities or towns have roads that are not well maintained, putting you at a higher risk of an accident. Plus, if you’re vacationing around a major holiday, there are likely more cars on the road traveling than usual. That means there is a higher incidence of drunk drivers on the roads as well.
We all wish highways and surface roads were safer to drive, but experience tells us that is simply not the case. Sometimes car wrecks are unavoidable, but you can help reduce the chances of an accident or injury by regularly checking your mirrors and surroundings, driving the speed limit, and not driving after drinking alcoholic beverages.
Wearing a seatbelt will not lower your chances of getting into a crash, but it can help protect you from more serious injuries if you do.
Public Transport/Train Accidents
Tourists on vacation often use public transportation methods like buses, trains, boats, trolleys, or other kinds of vehicles driven by professional drivers. Yet even the most experienced drivers can make careless decisions and neglect important safety measures.
Public transportation accidents can also result in injuries just like car accidents do. If this has happened to you, the person responsible should be held liable and you should be compensated for your injuries.
Food Poisoning
Vacations usually mean less cooking and more eating out. Unfortunately, dining at restaurants and hotels you visit while on vacation could cause you to get food poisoning. If you become severely ill from the food you eat, it could be because a restaurant was not following health codes or was negligent in preparing the food.
Contaminated ingredients, undercooking, and unhygienic staff practices are some of the most common causes of food poisoning. If your foodborne illness was serious or even life-threatening, you may be able to sue for damages related to the sickness you suffered as a result of the restaurant’s improper food handling.
Slips and Falls
Slips, trips, and falls are three of the most common types of injuries that occur while on vacation. Restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions can have uneven flooring, dangerous infrastructure, or slick foundations without any warning signs. If you slip and fall while on vacation, you could be injured. When caused by someone else’s failure to maintain their facilities or post caution signs, negligence may be at fault.
Many people who slip and fall end up with back injuries, head injuries, or broken bones. If this happens, you should not be responsible for paying for the costs associated with your medical care. Filing for compensation and damages helps prepare for future expenses related to your injury as well.
Sports Accidents
While some vacationers opt for lounging on the beach or by the pool, others might prefer more active excursions. Parasailing, skiing, watersports, skydiving, bungee jumping, biking, and amusement park rides are just a few of the many activities that can result in injuries if the equipment is unsafe or improperly maintained.
If your equipment malfunctions or you are injured during an activity, the company or operator’s negligence, such as carelessness or lack of posted warnings, may be to blame. When an accident occurs that was not your fault, you should not have to pay for your injuries out of your own pocket, but could sue for damages instead.
5 Steps to Take After Being Injured on Vacation
If you end up injured after an accident while on vacation, stay calm and take action one step at a time. Here are the most important things you should do after sustaining an injury on vacation:
1. Seek prompt medical attention
Your first move after being hurt should be to seek medical attention right away. Even if you think your injury is not that bad, you should go to a doctor as quickly as possible. Not only could this save your life or improve your chances of healing properly from your injury, but it could also help your case if you choose to sue the negligent party responsible.
Proving you were injured right after the accident will be important to your lawsuit. Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may choose to go to the emergency room or to urgent care, but whichever option you select, you should go promptly to get the best possible medical attention. If you are too badly injured to get yourself to a doctor, call 911 and request an ambulance.
2. Report the accident to the appropriate party
If you were injured on someone else’s property, you need to let them know. Whether the incident occurs at a hotel, a cruise ship, or an amusement park, it is critical that you report the accident to an employee. They will likely have you fill out a report with details regarding the event.
If you are in a car crash or another type of accident where you believe a law was broken, you should call the police as well.
3. Gather evidence before heading home
Another important step is to gather as much evidence as possible before you go home from your trip. If you go on vacation out of state and then try to file a lawsuit when you get home, you will need to have evidence of your accident and injury. It is extremely hard to get information about the incident later on, and even harder once you are already back home from vacation.
Take plenty of photos and videos of the scene of the accident and of your injuries, keep records of your medical care, get copies of any police or incident reports, and gather contact information from everyone associated with the accident, including any witnesses.
4. Notify your insurance company of the accident
If you were in a car crash, notify your insurance company that an accident occurred. Your agent needs to know so they can initiate a claim, but also to ensure the responsible party cannot claim later on that they didn’t know an incident occurred. Beyond notifying your insurance company that there was an accident, you don’t have to tell them anything else at first. It can be helpful for your case to wait until you have a lawyer to speak to the insurance company in depth about the wreck.
5. Speak with an experienced personal injury attorney
Your most strategic step, which should be next, is to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. If you were injured on vacation, you are going to need good legal representation, especially in order to fight a big company with lots of resources. The team of lawyers at Langdon & Emison are experienced and ready to discuss your case.
Hurt on vacation? Langdon & Emison can help.
Langdon & Emison can help hold the negligent party responsible for their actions. We work hard to obtain maximum compensation for clients, and we’ll work hard to do the same for you. Call (866) 931-2115 today for a free consultation with a personal injury attorney from Langdon & Emison.
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