Many Americans love to shop at holiday sales events that begin the day after Thanksgiving. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), a record 183.4 million people are planning to shop in-store and online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday in 2024. As you can imagine, the increased car and foot traffic also increases the chances of an injury. To help you and your family stay safe while shopping, the Phoenix personal injury lawyers at Lerner and Rowe offer the following tips to avoid Black Friday injuries.
How Common Are Black Friday Injuries?
Americans love a good bargain. With so many steep discounts offered around Black Friday by hundreds of big-name retailers, this day attracts hordes of people who will stop at almost nothing to secure the item on their wish list.
The logic is pretty simple: the more people who are out and about in the community, the more instances of injury there will be. For this reason, Black Friday shopping has become increasingly risky over the past decade. The number of injuries and deaths attributed to Black Friday has become so prominent that a website called Black Friday Death Count started to track deaths on this day in 2008. As of 2024, the website has reported 17 deaths attributed to Black Friday shopping.
While stampedes, stabbings, and shootings get the most national media attention, plenty of minor to moderate injuries occur each year as well because of fistfights, slips and falls, road rage incidents, and other shopping-related hazards. Officially, 125 injuries have been attributed to Black Friday, but the actual number of injuries is likely much higher, since so many go unreported.
What Types of Injuries in Phoenix Occur on Black Friday?
Shoppers and retail workers alike are vulnerable to Black Friday injuries, along with pedestrians in shopping centers and nearly everyone on the road. Black Friday injuries can range from minor to life-threatening and depend on the mechanism of injury.
- Pedestrians struck by negligent drivers in crowded parking lots may experience lacerations, broken bones, concussions, or internal bleeding.
- Stampede or trampling victims may suffer from injuries such as skull fractures, broken ribs, and internal bleeding.
- Slip and fall accidents due to improperly maintained facilities can cause sprained or broken wrists, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and nerve damage.
- Fistfights between shoppers can cause broken bones in the hands and face, head trauma, or cuts and bruises.
- Shoppers may also be injured by shopping carts or falling items from overstocked shelves.
Follow These Tips to Avoid Black Friday Injuries
There are many ways to keep yourself safe during Black Friday. Here are the top five from the Phoenix personal injury lawyers at Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys:
- Arrive Early: plan to get to your store of choice early to secure a spot in line and avoid having to battle it out for a parking space.
- Pay Attention While Parking: parking spots can be hard to come by during Black Friday. This can make some drivers extra aggressive, which can lead to car accidents.
- Bring Someone: there is strength in numbers. Avoid shopping alone, and watch out for your shopping companions.
- Be Wary of Surroundings: keep an eye out for trouble at all times. If a waiting crowd becomes restless or violent, it’s better to be safe and exit the crowd than fall victim to a stampede.
- Know Your Exits: if possible, scope out your store of choice before Black Friday to get familiar with its layout. Note all emergency exits and have a designated meeting spot for you and your shopping companions if an emergency occurs.
- Don’t Pick Fights: the mob mentality of Black Friday is very real. Don’t fight with other shoppers over items or spots in line. If someone tries to provoke you, disengage and walk away. No discount is worth dying or going to jail for.
Contact Lerner and Rowe
If you have suffered Black Friday injuries while shopping this holiday season, then you may be entitled to damages. Our Phoenix personal injury attorneys can help you obtain compensation for your medical bills, ongoing treatment, pain and suffering, lost wages, and more.
Reach out to Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys today if you or anyone in your household has been injured or killed due to negligence or recklessness on Black Friday. You can contact us by phone at 602-977-1900, speak with a representative online, submit a free case review, or visit our office during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
In addition to recovering over $1 billion in the last four years alone for our clients nationwide, our staff does everything possible to help our clients carry the emotional burdens of their injuries so that they can focus on recovery. For unmatched legal service coupled with compassionate treatment from one of the most trusted law firms in the country, contact Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys today.