As its name implies its prices are attractive to the budget minded American but it still has to keep its stores safe for customers to use. Unfortunately, budget price probably means less money is spent on staff whose responsibility is to maintain the store in an orderly manner. Food gets dropped on the floor, cartons fall off crowded shelves and obstacles abound throughout the store.
At anytime, a slip and fall can take place on one of the many obstacles and a serious injury could take place if the victim after tripping and falling hits his or her head on the sharp corner of a shelf. If this has happened to you in a dollar store and you have been seriously injured and you know the accident was caused by the store’s negligence you may be eligible to file a personal injury claim.
How Soon Should You Settle?
If you have minor injuries but you still need to take time off work to recover and you know that the dollar store has admitted your accident was due to negligence, it shouldn’t take too long to settle the claim. You do have 2 to 3 years from the date of the accident to file a PI claim.
How long it takes really depends on your ability to present a claim that the insurer is going to accept which is also a fair assessment of your financial hardship caused by the accident with a dollar store. If you rush a claim and the injuries are serious and life changing and you haven’t taken into consideration all the aspects of your financial hardship you may end up the poorer for it. Once your claim has been accepted there is no turning back as you can’t appeal or have another go.
Why You Should Take Your Time to Settle?
Proving that the dollar store was negligent isn’t easy to achieve. You have to find evidence that can’t be disputed proving the accident took place on their property.
If you were taken off in an ambulance for medical treatment it’s highly unlikely you would have been able to take photos showing the cause of your accident or for that matter recorded the names and addresses of witnesses. You will also need a doctor’s report, indicating the nature of your injuries and your likely recovery time.
Additionally you will need an up to date assessment of your potential wages had you not been injured. Gathering all this together takes time but in the end you may get a more generous PI settlement.
How a Lawyer Can Help You
You may think you have your PI claim in order including proof that the staff were negligent for not providing you with safe place to do your shopping. It may not seem too difficult to file a PI claim on your own but you will be surprised how antagonistic an insurer can be if it knows you don’t have an attorney.
An attorney working on your behalf will have a greater chance of settling a fair claim for you. To speak with a lawyer on the details of your case, complete the Free Case Evaluation on this page.
*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Dollar General or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
