The holiday season is supposed to be joyful! But did you know that the rate of cuts, bruises, concussions, and broken bones also rises dramatically during this time of year? That’s right. Holiday injuries are all too common. If you run into Christmas injuries, accidentally get hurt by a neighbor while helping them hang lights, or find yourself needing to make personal injury claims, things can get complicated fast. A lawyer can greatly assist if you’re facing these legal issues.
What is a personal injury lawyer?
During the holidays, vehicle accidents, trips and falls, defective products and more can all lead to injuries. If you get hurt, you need to focus on getting better! But many holiday injuries come with legal problems. A lawyer can help you deal with your legal needs as they arise so you can recover more peacefully.
Here are just a few of the personal legal problems that could arise if you find yourself hurt during the holidays:
- Hospital and medical bills sometimes require careful review. A lawyer can help you look over some of that paperwork.
- Insurance statements and qualifications can get complicated quickly, especially if other people were involved in your accident.
- Car wrecks, injuries that occur on other people’s property, and work-related injuries all involve legal steps that you may not feel comfortable taking by yourself.
A lawyer can assist with these legal problems and more that you may run into over the holidays.
Common holiday injuries you might encounter
Holiday decorating
Getting injured while decorating is an often-unforeseen problem during the holidays. And if you get injured on someone else’s property, it can quickly become a legal issue!
Car accidents
You have probably planned a journey to visit family or friends this season. Even if your road trip is a short one, car accidents can still occur, especially since more people are on the road this time of year. And since it gets dark so early in winter, you can’t clearly see pedestrians or bicycles in the road either. Use your best judgment, but if you still get involved in a car accident, make sure you are legally ready with a lawyer.
Product liability
Perhaps you purchase your kid’s dream bike, scooter, or other amazing toy. Or maybe you’ve finally gotten yourself that cool kitchen gadget you’ve wanted for years. But with these kinds of holiday purchases comes an increase in product-related injuries. Double-check all the instructions about your new purchase before using it.
How to deal with personal injury claims
If you’ve been injured during the holidays—especially if someone else or a bad product was at fault—it’s time to file an insurance claim. A lawyer can help make the claims process much simpler and quicker. Your lawyer can advise you on details to include, such as how and when you were injured, who else was involved or liable, and the kind of medical treatment you require for your injury. All these details are important to support your claim.
While you focus on recovering from your injury, your lawyer can give advice on how to handle the matter. As you recover, keep close records of your medical visits, medication, rehabilitation, and any amount of time you dedicate to recovery.
What is personal injury protection and should you get it?
Personal injury protection is a type of no-fault insurance that you can buy from your auto insurance provider. It financially protects you if you are involved in a car accident. Even if some of the involved people in a car wreck don’t have health insurance, personal injury protection can cover medical expenses for each injured person. Personal injury protection can work in conjunction with health insurance if your auto insurance’s policy does not cover all the needed medical care.
It’s up to you if you want to pay for personal injury protection in your insurance policy. Weigh the pros and cons, such as whether you plan to travel frequently, enjoy physically challenging hobbies, or perform other tasks wherein you could easily get injured.
How to find a lawyer
An injury can ruin your holidays. That’s why you need to make sure you are prepared for legal problems with the help of an experienced lawyer. LegalShield provides our LegalShield Members access to a dedicated law firm to receive advice for an unlimited number of personal legal matters, letter drafting or phone calls, civil trial defense hours for covered situations, and more.
Getting an affordable Personal and Family legal plan is a great way for you to protect yourself and your family, not only for the holiday season but for the rest of the year as well!
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (“PPLSI”) provides access to legal services offered by a network of provider law firms to PPLSI members through membership-based participation. Neither PPLSI nor its officers, employees or sales associates directly or indirectly provide legal services, representation, or advice. The information made available in this blog is meant to provide general information and is not intended to provide legal advice, render an opinion, or provide a recommendation as to a specific matter. The blog post is not a substitute for competent legal counsel from a licensed professional lawyer in the state or province where your legal issues exist, and you should seek legal counsel for your specific legal matter. Information contained in the blog may be provided by authors who could be a third-party paid contributor. All information by authors is accepted in good faith, however, PPLSI makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of such information.
