Minor injuries are a part of working out and living a physically active lifestyle. While you are at fault for pushing yourself too far and tweaking an ankle or sustaining some other minor training related injury, every year thousands of people are hurt in gym accidents that are the fault of property owners, gym employees, and personal trainers. If you have been hurt at the gym because of someone else’s negligence, you don’t just have to suck it up and try and get better. You may have a personal injury claim.
Types of Gym Accidents
There are many ways you can get hurt at the gym because of someone else’s negligence. Some of the most common types of gym accidents are:
- Slip and falls on a spill
- Trips on free weights
- Faulty equipment
- Reckless actions of gym staff
- Inexperienced trainers
- Unsafe conditions
Gym accidents fall into three different categories. Accidents may be caused by your own inattention or negligence. You are not able to recover damages from someone else because of your own mistakes. Accidents may be caused by the negligence of a third party such as the gym owners or their employees. You often can collect damages in these kinds of cases. 
Accidents in the third category are caused by both your own negligence and the negligence of someone else. You may or may not be able to collect damages in these kind of mixed cases, depending on the facts and the laws of your state.
Every state has different laws and rules that govern how personal injury claims work. Premises liability claims, like gym accidents, can be tough to pursue. If you have been hurt in a gym accident you need a knowledgeable and tough personal injury lawyer to review your case and help you enforce your rights.
Types of Injuries
Because of the heavy equipment and the way most gym users are unprotected, injuries from gym accidents can be very dangerous. Even a brief slip can result in a painful knee injury that requires surgery and months of rehabilitation.
The most common types of injuries in gym accidents are:
- Strains and sprains of muscles
- Torn ligaments and tendons
- Neck and back injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Fractured bones
- Internal injuries to organs
- Heart attacks
- Lacerations
In addition to the pain of the injuries themselves, often treatment and recovery are painful and cause mental suffering. The law in most instances allows for the compensation by negligent parties of pain and suffering caused both by the actual injury and the treatment and recovery process. Things like multiple surgeries, lengthy bouts of physical therapy, and being confined to a cast or wheelchair also impact the quality of life you enjoy.
A personal injury lawyer will understand how to make sure you file a claim for all of the damages you are eligible for.
How Gym Accident Claims Work
Gym accidents are more complicated than a typical premises liability case. Usually under the law to win a premises negligence claim in court you have to show that:
- The owner of the property owed you a duty
- The owner breached that duty
- You were injured as a result of that breach
- You suffered damages.
However, many gyms require their customers to sign liability waivers. These are a legal document where you agree that if you are hurt you will not sue the gym. All states allow some form of liability waiver. But, most states limit the rights that can be waived.
Just because you signed a liability waiver does not mean you do not have a claim. You will need to consult with a knowledgeable local personal injury lawyer to evaluate your case and the wording of the liability waiver you signed.
Many states do not allow people to recover damages from accidents where they knew about the danger and went ahead anyway or where there was no way for the property owners to have known about the danger.
Most gyms have insurance companies that represent them in these cases. The insurance company will want to minimize costs. You will need a lawyer to protect your rights when dealing with an insurance company.
Facts About Gym Accidents
There are many ways the owners of a gym may be responsible for the injuries that occur on their property. If the gym failed to check the credentials of a trainer, and that trainer was inexperienced and caused injury to a customer, the gym may be liable.
Another common scenario is that certain equipment or the floor in an area of the gym is known to be in disrepair. The gym employees fail to put up warning signs or fix the problems. When a gym customer is hurt by something the gym ownership or employees knew to be dangerous, the gym may be liable for damages.
Thousands of people are hurt every year in gym accidents, and many will not get the compensation they deserve because they did not consult with a personal injury lawyer. Let us connect you with a skilled lawyer who understands personal injury law in your area and knows how to deal with gym accidents. Don’t lose your right to get paid for your injuries. Take action today.
