Pedestrians, Stay Safe in Seattle this Black Friday!

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on November 24, 2016

You might think that as a pedestrian you have nothing to worry about when going Black Friday shopping. After all, what’s going to happen when you’re on your own two feet? In fact, pedestrian accidents can happen more often, and have worse consequences, than car accidents on Black Friday. Drivers also become pedestrians at some point when they need to walk into a store. On Black Friday, even that can be dangerous.

We’ve all heard the horror stories of people that were trampled by other people when trying to enter certain stores on Black Friday, or of how people become injured when actually getting into fights over Black Friday sales. But when these things occur, or when you’re hurt as a pedestrian during Black Friday shopping, who can be held liable?

Of course, if someone else injures you while you’re Black Friday shopping, whether intentional or not, that person might be to blame. For instance, imagine you’re crossing the street to enter a store and someone else pushes you out of the way to get to the doors faster. If you fall or are injured from the push, they can be held accountable for any damages or injuries you sustain. The same can be said for the driver of a car that hits you while you’re trying to cross the street. Even though you’ll most likely have to deal with a driver’s insurance company instead of an individual’s lawyer (as you would if someone pushed you), in these cases one particular person can be held accountable.

Say for instance, that instead of being pushed, you were trampled in the parking lot while trying to get into the same store. You most likely won’t be able to make a claim against any one individual, as the offenders in that case would be a group of largely unidentifiable people. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t seek compensation for any injuries sustained. When this happens, there is a good chance that the store didn’t provide adequate security or safety measures, so the store owners or managers can often be held accountable.

As a pedestrian you might think that you’re safe from Black Friday accidents, and you may even take extra precautions in an effort to stay even safer. But accidents happen, and when they do, it’s fair to want to seek compensation for things like injuries and loss of income. When that’s the case, you can speak to one of our Seattle pedestrian accident attorneys by calling Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. toll-free at (888) 228-3860 for a free initial consultation. If you’ve been hurt in a pedestrian accident, we want to help.