Although the holidays are meant to be a time of celebration and relaxation, personal injury accidents can still happen. In fact, some kinds of accidents are more likely to occur during the holidays than other times of the year. That’s why it is important to know how to begin a personal injury claim that arises during the holiday season.
Read more: How Long Does it Take to Get a Settlement After a Car Accident?
Personal Injury Claims That Can Arise during the Holidays
Examples of personal injury accidents that frequently occur during the holidays include:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Slip and fall accidents in markets, stores, malls, and shopping centers
- Skiing, snowboarding, and sledding accidents
- Falls from heights that happen while putting up holiday decorations
- Lacerations and burns while preparing food for holiday parties or meals
- Burns and smoke inhalation injuries from holiday fires caused by kitchen fires started by defective appliances or equipment, defective fireplaces, or dried-out Christmas trees an defective lights and electronic decorations
Read more: Florida Slip and Fall Laws
Getting Medical Attention and Treatment
Not all holiday season injuries will require attention and treatment from a medical professional. However, if you get into a serious enough accident, you may need to go to the emergency room, or you may need more extensive treatment such as surgery or physical rehab. Your recovery may only take a matter of a few months, or may even last months or years. However, while it may be difficult to schedule intensive or long-term medical treatment or rehab during the holidays, especially with people taking vacations and time off, it is important to start the recovery process as soon as possible to ensure that your condition doesn’t worsen, which may lead the parties that you seek compensation from for your injuries to argue that you failed to mitigate your damages.
Read more: Will a Lawyer Still Take My Case If I Don’t Have Car Insurance
How Your Injury Affects Your Family
Getting injured during the holiday season can have a larger impact on your family that it otherwise would have during another time of the year. You and your family may have had to cancel holiday plans, such as a family vacation, traveling to see loved ones, or hosting family and friends at your home. Or if you live apart from your family, your injuries may prevent you from being able to go to see your loved ones.
This loss can affect the claim you make for non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering or lost enjoyment of life, if the accident and your injuries were caused by someone else
Unexpected Expenses after an Injury
Beyond your medical expenses, lost wages due to missed time from work, and the emotional and mental impact on you and your family, you may also incur other expenses due to your injuries without even realizing it. For example, if you had to cancel a holiday vacation after suffering injuries due to someone else’s legal fault, you may be entitled to recoup any unrefunded sums you spent for your vacation.
One important expense often overlooked by personal injury victims is transportation and travel expenses related to your medical treatment and recovery, especially if you have to drive or fly to see certain specialists.
Read more: What Injured Passengers Should Do if Involved in an Accident
Contact a Lake Worth Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Case in Florida
Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries in Florida? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. represent clients injured in Hollywood, Coral Springs, Davie, Boca Raton, and throughout Florida. Call 561-898-0497 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 813 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth, FL 33460, as well as offices in Pompano Beach.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.