The United States is a nation of car drivers. While many people are familiar with the risks of car accidents, many people do not realize how easy it is to get hurt at the gas station. Every year thousands of people are seriously injured while simply visiting the gas station.
If you have been injured in a gas station accident, you may be entitled to legal compensation for your injuries.
However, if you fail to take the right steps in protecting yourself and your claim, you could lose out on your chance to recover damages forever.
Types and Causes of Gas Station Accidents
Gas stations are usually a mixture of several different things. There is a store, bathrooms, parking lot, gas pumps, and massive underground storage tanks. Each of these different functions comes with their own dangers. Some types of gas station accidents include:
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- Slip and falls
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- Car collisions
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- Gas tank explosions
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- Water contamination
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- Exposure to toxic fumes
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- Burns
- Assaults
Most of the time gas station accidents are caused by the negligence of someone else.
When someone causes an accident, and you are injured because of their actions, or failure to act, you may be entitled to legal damages. But, nobody is going to pay you anything without you filing a claim.
Some causes of gas station accidents include:
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- Failure to clean up spills
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- Poorly maintained facilities
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- Poorly maintained equipment
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- Defective equipment
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- Negligent operation of gas pumps or tanks
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- Poorly designed parking lots
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- Failure to have adequately inspect tanks and pumps
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- Failure to create a safe environment
- Not properly training employees
When an employee of the gas station causes a gas station accident you often have the right to make a claim against the owners of the gas station.
However, an insurance company will most likely handle your claim.
Even if you have been seriously injured, you will face many obstacles to actually getting the payment you deserve.
Types of Injuries
People have suffered all types of injuries in gas station accidents. Some of the types of injuries that have been caused by the negligence of someone else include:
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- Burns
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- Chemical burns
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- Eye injuries
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- Fractured bones
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- Torn ligaments
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- Sprains and strains
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- Head injuries
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- Spinal cord injuries
- Back and neck injuries
After a gas station accident your first priority should be in getting to a safe place and getting appropriate medical treatment.
Many times, especially after a slip and fall, or a collision, you may not feel any immediate symptoms. However, even if you do not emergency medical care, your doctor should still examine you within the first 48 to 72 hours after the accident.
You may be unaware of certain injuries. The sooner you see a doctor the sooner you can begin treatment and the sooner you can recover. One of things many insurance companies do when trying to deny claims is to argue you were not hurt badly because you took so long to go to the doctor.
Getting a proper medical exam after any accident is good for your health, and may help you if you later make an injury claim.
Issues With Slip and Fall Claims
The most common type of gas station accident often has little to do with gasoline. Slip and falls injure more people at gas stations than anything else. Slip and fall claims are often some of the most difficult to prove.
Personal injury law in most states requires that the employees of a gas stations be aware of a dangerous condition that caused the injury, or should have known about it, before the company can be held legally responsible for the accident. Insurance companies love to argue that there was no way the employees could have prevented an accident. A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer will be needed to get the gas station’s insurance company to pay out damages.
Sometimes a gas station is a franchise. There is a question of who is responsible for the accident. Is it the company operating the gas station, the owner of the station, or the big oil company whose name is on the signs?
Every case is different. Sometimes more than one company may on the hook for a gas station accident. If you don’t file a claim with all of the right people you could be losing out on additional compensation.
Personal injury law is complicated. You need to someone in your corner, making sure your rights are protected.
We can help you find a skilled and experienced personal injury lawyer to handle your gas station accident claim.
The right personal injury lawyer will make sure you don’t miss important deadlines and will help you maximize your recovery.
The insurance companies for the gas station will have teams of lawyers and experts working for them.
Let us help you find a personal injury lawyer who will evaluate your claim and stand up for your rights.
Time is of the essence in personal injury cases. Contact us today.
