Automatic and elevator doors present significant risks of injury if they malfunction. However, since this is not an everyday occurrence or even an injury that many people hear of regularly, any person who sustains an injury due to these types of doors will wonder what they have to do to recover compensation. Here, we want to discuss the steps you need to take if you are injured by an automatic or elevator door.
The number one priority after sustaining an injury caused by an automatic door is your health and well-being. This means calling 911 if the injury is severe or going right to the emergency department to be evaluated by a doctor. The signs and symptoms of some automatic door injuries may not begin to appear until hours after the incident, so seeking medical care helps ensure your well-being while also establishing a link between the incident and any injuries that arise.
If the injury does not need emergency medical treatment, you can begin to document the injury scene. In some cases, you may need to ask a trusted individual around you to help document the incident. Documentation can come in the form of using a phone camera to take photographs or video of the entire area, including the malfunctioning automatic door, any injuries that are visible, the scene surrounding the door, as well as anything else that you think may be relevant to a potential injury claim.
If there are any eyewitnesses who saw what happened, it is important to get their names and contact information written down before they leave and before you leave.
Most property owners have systems in place for reporting injuries that have occurred on their premises. You need to let an employee, property manager, or property owner know that there has been an automatic door injury so they can begin internally documenting the incident. The manufacturer as well as the property owner may be responsible for the injuries sustained.
We encourage you to reach out to a skilled injury attorney in Lexington who has experience handling these claims. Even though automatic door injuries may not often happen in your area, you still deserve to have your case taken seriously. If an injury occurs due to the negligence of a property owner, you can likely secure compensation for your losses. An automatic door injury attorney in Lexington will use their resources to fully investigate the incident and to uncover additional types of evidence that you may not be able to uncover at the time of the incident. This can include property inspection and maintenance records.
One of the most common mistakes people make when an injury occurs is that they discontinue medical treatment as soon as they start to feel better. It is important for automatic door injury victims to continue all treatments recommended by their doctor if they want the best chance at recovering maximum compensation.