You or a loved one was injured in a concert accident? What can you do? Americans spend millions of dollars every year on concerts. Concerts can be in a variety of venues, everything from an up and coming band in a local club to a world class performer at a stadium to a professional orchestra at a big concert hall. While most concerts are held without incident, every year thousands of people are injured in concert accidents.
Types and Causes of Concert Accidents
Because concerts are often held in places packed with people, there are lots of chances for accidents to happen. Some types of concert accidents include:
• Slips and falls
• Falling down stairs
• Pyrotechnic accidents
• Hit by projectile
• Escalator accident
• Seat collapse
Most concert accidents are the result of human error or negligence. Many concert accidents are caused by:
• Failure to clean up a spill
• Poor building maintenance
• Defective equipment
• Poor management of employees or contractors
• Lack of adequate security
• Lack of proper lighting
• Failure to have a detailed safety plan
If you have been hurt in a concert accident you may have a right to be compensated for your injuries. You will need to have your case reviewed by a personal injury lawyer.
Types of Injuries in Concert Accidents
There are many different ways to get injured at a concert. Some of the more common concert accident injuries include:
• Head injuries
• Neck injuries
• Burns
• Eye injuries
• Back injuries
• Lacerations
• Torn, ripped, sprained, or strained muscles, tendons, and ligaments
• Broken bones
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
Your first priority after suffering an injury is to get appropriate medical attention. Many concert venues will have rudimentary first aid available. If you need emergency treatment call 911 or head to the emergency room.
Even if your medical needs are not urgent, you should still seek out a medical evaluation from your regular doctor within a day or two of the concert accident. Some injuries such as back injuries, and even traumatic brain injuries often leave few symptoms immediately after the accident. Your doctor will be able to see if you have any hidden injuries.
The sooner you are checked out the sooner any problems can be dealt with and the better your prognosis will be. Going to the doctor shortly after the accident also helps document your injuries and their cause. This can be important if you need to file a personal injury claim.
Who is at Fault?
It can be tough to know who is responsible for your causing a concert accident. A good personal injury lawyer will be able to help you investigate the accident and contact the responsible parties.
A concert accident may be the fault of the ownership of the venue. A slip and fall case is a classic example of this. In some cases the musical artist or a contractor may be at fault for the accident. This may the case if the pyrotechnics or a foreign object injures you.
It is critical that you discover who is responsible for causing your injuries. Otherwise you will not know where to file your claim or who to sue in court.
Elements of a Claim
A basic personal injury claim has four different elements under the law. You will need to demonstrate that someone owed you a duty. The owner of the concert venue owes all the patrons a duty to make the venue safe and free from foreseeable hazards. You next have to show that someone breached his or her duty. An example of this would be if the concert hall carpet was known to be in bad shape. Third you must have suffered an injury caused by the breach of the duty. If you tripped and broke your arm on the faulty carpet, you were injured by the breach of duty owed you by the venue owners. Lastly, you must have suffered some damages. If you have medical bills and missed work, you have damages.
Will You Have to Go to Court?
Very few cases ever go all the way to trail. However, a good lawyer prepares a case like it is going to be argued in front of a jury. The more proof you have upfront, the more likely you are to get a fair settlement without having to go to court. There are several reasons why a lawsuit may be needed to bring a claim to a close. If the statute of limitations is close, a lawsuit may be filed to protect your claim. If the other side is not being reasonable with their settlement offers or they are hiding evidence, filing a lawsuit may be the only way to get what you are owed.
If you want to get all of the compensation you are legally entitled to for your concert accident injury you need the help of a seasoned and skilled personal injury lawyer. We understand that it can be tough to find the right lawyer for your case. We can connect you with a personal injury lawyer who understands how to handle concert accident cases. The sooner you contact us the sooner we can help you make the right connection.
