Black Friday sales may offer some awesome deals and once-a-year sales, but it’s also a day that can end in an injury. This could alter the path of your life forever.

After quarantine, the consumer mobs will likely be back in full force for Black Friday festivities this year. It’s important to be prepared if you’re going to brave the New York crowds to score some good deals. Otherwise, you may end up leaving with more than you bargained for.

Here are some of the most common New York Black Friday injuries and what you can do about them if they happen to you.

Most Common Black Friday Injuries

Sales on the Friday after Thanksgiving draws thousands of shoppers, all of whom have been whipped into a frenzy to hunt down the advertised deals that drew them into the store. That’s why you hear about altercations between shoppers pretty regularly. The truth is that the hazards can start before you even step foot in the store.

Parking Lot Injuries

The parking lot is a place where you can easily sustain injuries. There are many other people hunting down a space, pulling in or out, and walking through the lot. This can lead to car accidents that include hitting other cars or pedestrians.

Once you get inside, you can encounter some hazards that lead to common injuries, such as:

Slip and Fall Accidents

With so much going on, trip hazards can get easily overlooked by the store:

• Spills on the floor
• Objects blocking the walking path
• Poor lighting
• Malfunctioning equipment
• Torn carpets

Any of these could result in slip and fall injuries that can be quite serious.

Head and Body Injuries

It’s also not uncommon to experience injuries that impact the head or body when shopping. To give a few examples: an object could fall on you or displays could get knocked onto you. As you can imagine, many other types of mishaps in a sea of people can lead to injures of the head or body.

Injuries from Shopping Carts

Shopping carts may seem innocent, but they can lead to injures. If a cart tips over or you’re struck by one, then you can face some injures that can be quite consequential.

Overcrowding

One thing Black Friday is famous for is people – lots and lots of people. As a result, you may experience circumstances that you may not commonly encounter when shopping, such as trampling. This can even cause fatal injuries.

Fights

Fights can and do occur during Black Friday sales, leading to injury. People can be quite set on getting the items they want and are willing to fight for them, leading to assault charges in some cases – and injuries.

Who Is Liable?

If you sustain an injury on Black Friday, then who is at fault? That’s a question of liability, and it’s vital to any personal injury case to determine who is at fault so you can pursue damages.

Any injuries that are suffered due to negligence on the part of the store mean that the retailer can be sued. All retailers have the duty to protect the shoppers invited into their stores. If they don’t maintain the store to adequate levels and provide the duty of care owed to their customers, then that makes them liable for injuries sustained.

If you bring a lawsuit, then It’s up to you to show that the duty of care was breached and the establishment’s negligence led to your injuries in a logical way. This is why you need an experienced personal injury attorney on your side. They’ll help guide you through this complicated process and give you the best chance at recovering damages for your injuries.

What Can You Do?

If you’re going shopping this Black Friday, then you should exercise caution to protect yourself. You should:

Set Up for Success

It may sound silly, but you need to prep your body to go shopping on Black Friday. Get plenty of sleep. Make sure to eat a good breakfast and be properly hydrated before you begin. Also, make a plan for which stores you want to hit, so you don’t feel overwhelmed or unprepared.

Drive Defensively

You have to anticipate when navigating the parking lot that others will make poor choices in their movements, whether on foot or in their car. So, drive carefully and slowly through the lot, and pay attention to your surroundings. That goes for when you’re walking through the lot to the store, too.

Stay Calm

If people around you are escalating things, try to remain calm and avoid conflict. No sale is ever going to be worth your health or safety. Period.

 

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