When you get on a plane, the last thing you think about is getting hurt. You would expect just to sit down, occupy your time, and wait to reach your destination without a hitch. However, there are a number of hazards that one could face while on an airline flight, and if you were to get hurt, it is important to understand what you should do if you unfortunately find yourself in such a predicament.
Common Injuries
Before you know if you have to get a personal injury attorney if you get injured on a flight, it is important to look at the number of ways you can get hurt. The majority of airline related injuries can be pointed to turbulence. When turbulence on a plane occurs, there are endless possibilities for one to get hurt. For example, luggage from above can land on you, or a rolling food cart can land in your direction. If you happen to be in the cabin, you could fall while moving around.
When considering whether or not a Tampa personal injury attorney is necessary for your situation, you need to examine in the injury closely and determine if it could have been reasonably prevented.
It’s also important to understand the airline’s responsibility as “common carriers”. This means that the airline is responsible for your safety in whatever way they can from the moment you step onto a plane. Everyone from flight attendants and safety inspectors to the ground crew and pilots all play a crucial role. Now that you have a little understanding of what the responsibilities of the airline are, here is what you need to do if you get hurt.
Call Emergency Services
Your health is your priority. The first thing that you should do if you get hurt is to call emergency services if necessary. Even if you think there is a slight chance that the injury is service, you will want to call emergency services.
If you decide to take legal action by calling a personal injury attorney, emergency services would be able to prove the seriousness of your claim should it go to court. If you don’t call, then there may be an assumption that the injury wasn’t that bad.
Determine Cause
Next, you will want to deduce what exactly caused your injury. Numerous circumstances can predispose you to situations where you can slip and fall, so you need to be observant and take note of what caused the injury. If there is a substance that specifically caused your fall, it may behoove you to take a sample that can be used as evidence to substantiate your claim further.
Gather Witnesses
You are in a plane thousands of feet in the air, and the odds are you won’t be alone. If you get seriously hurt, there have to have been witnesses one way or another. You should get the contact information of those who are in the vicinity. If they saw you fall, it’s even better for you. If they didn’t see the incident, they may at least be able to testify on the conditions that may have put you at risk. Therefore, if you are taking your case with a Tampa personal injury attorney, witnesses will help your case further.
Photos
The more proof you have, the better. Little evidence beats photographic evidence. Whatever you think caused your injury, you need to take pictures as well anything in the surrounding area that you think may have contributed to it.
Document
In the medical field, if something isn’t documented, then it’s considered to never have happened. Similar principles apply in this regard. Everything from your medical fields to every detail of what led up to your incident needs to be documented in some form.
Remember that it is always better to put in more information than necessary than insufficient information. Remember that your medical bills may be the most important thing to document, because it will show that the injury was serious to some extent. If you don’t get medical treatment, the courts will waste no time determining that your suit is frivolous.
If you are injured in a plane incident, follow these steps, especially if you decide to take legal action