Walmarts are huge buildings with a lot of shelves and items that could cause dangers and injuries. Especially in Walmart Supercenters with groceries and gardening supplies, it is not uncommon for spills and wet spots from refrigerators, dropped items, or even hoses and buckets to create slippery or dangerous areas. If you or a loved one was injured, there are certain steps you should take to report your injury, get the treatment you need, and document what happened in case you need to sue the store. the Baltimore premises liability injury lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras explain.
What to Do After an Injury in a Walmart in Baltimore, MD
If you were injured in a Walmart because of a slip and fall accident or another type of accident, the first thing you should do is seek help. If you hit your head or landed on your back, you could face surprisingly severe traumatic brain injuries or back injuries that could cause long-term damage. If you need to, you should call for an ambulance right away.
You should also report the accident to someone who works at the store. They might produce paperwork that they will fill out to submit an accident report to corporate. These records will be important later because they help detail what happened, when it happened, and what employees were involved.
If you are taken to the hospital, you should seek treatment for whatever injuries you faced. the medical records produced can help show what injuries you faced and what treatment you received to deal with those injuries.
If you are able to stay at the Walmart at the scene of the injury (or if you have a friend or family member who is able to do so), you should try to collect contact information for witnesses and other evidence of what happened. Getting pictures of any spills or hazards will later help you show what happened, securing security camera footage could help you show how the accident happened, and getting contact info and statements from any witnesses can help you gather evidence and testimony that will back up your story about how you were injured.
While getting the treatment you need is a core part of what you should do after an accident, beginning to collect evidence and building the basis of a potential lawsuit or insurance claim is also important.
What Should I Do if Walmart Contacts Me After an Accident in the Store in Baltimore?
If you were injured in an accident in Walmart, a grocery store slip and fall in Baltimore, or any other accident in a store, it is likely that the store will write up an accident report and try to reach out to you. When they do so, the person who calls you will usually be a member of some kind of risk management or customer service team that will try to make sure that you are happy and that you aren’t going to sue. In some cases, it might be an insurance representative or even a lawyer. These parties will often be authorized by Walmart to collect medical bills from you and offer you some money to end the case.
In almost every case, the money they offer you will be too low to cover your needs. If you take the money, it could function as a settlement. That would mean that you will be blocked from trying to sue them afterward or getting any additional money for your injuries.
These representatives that might try to contact you do not represent you and do not have your best interests in mind. In most cases, it will be better to contact a lawyer who can help you understand what your injuries are actually worth and advise you on the best way to increase your settlement and get the compensation you deserve. Our Baltimore personal injury lawyers help with these kinds of cases and even take our clients’ cases to court if necessary to get them the compensation they need for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering after a serious injury in a Walmart or another store.
Can You Sue Walmart for Injuries in Baltimore?
If you were injured in a Walmart, their insurance company, a customer service representative, or the manager of the store might try to give you money or insurance payouts to cover your medical bills and some of your expenses related to the injury. However, you might be better off filing a lawsuit to help get you the compensation you need, and Maryland law usually allows victims to sue for injuries. An experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer can help you with this.
When you try to take a large company like Walmart to court for injuries in their store, they will often try to shut down the claim in a few ways. Sometimes, they will concentrate on the lack of evidence – but security camera footage and statements from witnesses can often show exactly what happened. Other times, they will try to claim that you contributed to the injuries – but proof that you were being careful and using reasonable caution can counteract these claims. With an experienced attorney and strong evidence on your side, lawsuits based on serious negligence are often successful.
Rice, Murtha & Psoras might be able to take your case and sue Walmart to get you the compensation you need if you suffered a serious injury at their store.
Call Our Baltimore Lawyer for Injuries to Walmart Customers
Our Baltimore injury attorneys represent victims of all kinds of serious accidents and injuries across Maryland. If you or a loved one fell down in a Walmart or faced injuries from other dangerous conditions or problems in a Walmart, Rice, Murtha & Psoras might be able to take your case and fight to get you the compensation you need. Call our law offices today at (410) 694-7291 to set up a free legal consultation on your potential case against Walmart.