Being in any type of accident isn’t fun. It might be even more difficult if you have a trip or a fall when you are out in public alone. And while it hopefully will never be something you have to deal with, it is good to know what you should do if this happens to you.
Firstly, try to regain your bearings. When you hurt yourself, say your hammock carabiner broke, you may feel a little bit confused, and if you’re in public, you may also be slightly embarrassed. Try to remember that it happens all the time.
Photo by Dom J of Pexels
If local shop owners or pedestrians come to offer help, try to push pride aside and accept the help they are providing. It could be possible your injuries are worse than you suspect. It might be nice to take note of the name and number or perhaps address of people who help you – so that you may send a thank you card when you are feeling a bit better.
Make a note of where you have fallen; you can report this to the shop owner, local council or governing body responsible for the location so that they may write a report and take steps to fix the issue. This also means you can have a written statement of the incident on file. In order to help you and them, take a photo of the exact location, any cracks in the pavement, an area of water on a shop floor, the stairs – whatever has caused the accident.
If you have small cuts and bruises, the likelihood is you will be fine to head home, but it is wise to make sure you book an appointment with your doctor to get checked over anyway. Often the real damage and injuries don’t present until you aren’t in shock anymore.
You might not be so lucky as to have small injuries that can be seen to by a doctor; you may have bumped your head and not be in the best condition to drive, or make any decisions. If this is the case, then it might be better for you wait for an ambulance.
The chances are you will have been seated by the passers-by that came to your aid. Remain seated until the ambulance arrives to help.
Once you are safely home, and your injuries have been taken care of it might be time to consider who was at fault for the accident. You might need legal help with your personal injury, so try not to waste valuable time seeking help. While you are in the store or the location of the accident, don’t admit fault, as tempting as it might be due to embarrassment.
It is vital that you take care of yourself for the following few days after an accident, no matter how minor you might feel it was. You may have to arrange a few days off work, or someone to pop in and make sure you are okay during the day. As above the initial damage might not appear until later – so look after yourself well over the following days.