What to Do If You’re Injured in Public

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Whether you’re walking down the street when a piece of scaffolding falls on you, or you’re in a Lyft and you are in a crash, you need to know what to do if you’re injured in public. Some people feel pretty silly being caught taking a slip on the street or twisting an ankle, but accidents happen and they’re not always something that you would feel grateful for. If you are tripped or injured in your own home, you might go to the doctors and pat yourself on the back of being clumsy. 

But if you’re in an Uber or a Lyft and you end up in an accident on the road, then you need to think about what you do next for an injury from a public accident. If you have an accident at home, the homeowner is the person that’s liable for the injury, which means that you have no one to hold responsible if you fall down your own stairs. But if you’re in a car and you crash in public and the car that you’re in is a taxi, then you need to call a Lyft accident lawyer, because you’re not to blame. 

There are things that you can do to preserve your right to a legal claim if you need to. Injuries resulting from property hazards or from a public crash in a taxi or a bus means that you have a lawsuit. There are certain steps that you should take immediately following an injury so that you can preserve evidence and strengthen your claim if necessary. So let’s take a look at some of those things that you can do below.

Speak to a Lawyer

We already talked about calling a Lyft accident lawyer if you’re in a crash, but a public injury lawyer is a good place to contact. You can sometimes recover some damages for an accident, especially if you end up needing medical bills or you have to take time off of work. A lawyer can help you to negotiate with an insurance company, to settle or to file a lawsuit. Even if you shared some liability for your own injury, you can still get the help you need to navigate this.

Situational Overview

Assess the situation in public if you can. You should evaluate your own injury if you feel like it seems minor. You should still seek the assistance of a doctor if you can so that you can get a medical report based on an accident. This way, you can get some help to obtain compensation for your injuries.

Talk to the Police

After a crash or a public accident, not only should you seek medical attention, you should request the police to come to assist you. Having a police report, especially at the event of a car accident, that’s not the fault of you will help to strengthen your claim. Calling for help is important, especially if the accident is severe enough to send you to hospital or have you off work.

Get to a Safe Location

If you’re in public, you need to try and find a safe location, even if you’re on the road or you’re someplace where a hazard continues to occur. There’s nothing worse than being on a busy highway when you’ve been in a crash because then you’re stranded in the middle of it and that can feel very scary. If you can, move out of the traffic into nearby businesses or elsewhere for shelter while you wait for help. If you can’t stabilize your injury and move, don’t move. Stay put inside the vehicle until help comes.

Note Examination

Provide as much information as you can. When help arrives, whether that’s in the form of the paramedics or the police, you need to give as much information as you can so that you can be evaluated correctly. Talk about the pain or the symptoms you’re experiencing and your relevant medical history because this will really help to ensure that you get the right care for your injuries.

Preserve Any Evidence

If you have any evidence of the crash or you are aware that the taxi you were in has a dashcam camera, then make sure that you let the police know. In order to win any damages or a settlement for a personal injury claim, you have to prove that it wasn’t your fault. Sometimes this is obvious. For example, if you are a pedestrian crossing the road and you ended up hit by an Uber or Lyft, then you can prove that that wasn’t your fault. It’s important, however, to take photos because not every case is cut and dry.