Over the past 15 years or so, the day after Thanksgiving has been the traditional holiday shopping day kickoff. Retailers typically offer significant sales—particularly on high-end ticket items—attracting millions of shoppers to take to the malls. Last year, over 90 million shoppers hit retail establishments on Black Friday.

Historically, venturing out into the retail world the day after Thanksgiving meant dealing with thousands of other shoppers in search of finding the biggest bargains. With Black Friday just days away, it looks like this year will be no different. Although most people associate holiday gift giving with goodwill and peace, Black Friday has created dozens of incidents of dangerous—and sometimes fatal—situations for people who were only looking to save money on gifts.

One study determined just how dangerous Black Friday is by examining the number of reported fatalities and injuries which have occurred since 2006. According to the study, there have been at least seven people killed and 98 others injured in incidents which occurred at retail establishments on Black Friday. The most “dangerous” place to be on Black Friday was at the large discount retailer Walmart, since this is where the most number of Black Friday injuries have taken place.

One of the most well-known scenes that many people associate with Black Friday is of a retail establishment unlocking their doors and a tidal wave of shoppers comes crashing through those doors. However, those tidal waves have caused dozens of injuries to people, including the death of one man.

Although many incidents of injuries involve people getting pushed or trampled, there have been several cases where a weapon was used on a victim. The number one weapon used is pepper spray, which has caused injuries to at least 41 people.

The incidents do not only occur in the stores—there have also been numerous events in parking lots where the demand of spaces far exceeds the supply. In 2012, two people were shot in a Florida Walmart parking lot over a parking space dispute.

If a person is injured while shopping on Black Friday—or any other day—just how liable is that store for the injuries?

People may be responsible for their own actions; however, the stores where you shop may also have a responsibility to their customers to provide a safe environment. In fact, even the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has provided a safety checklist for retailers to follow in order to keep both workers and customers safe during this annual shopping event. This checklist was developed in response to the crowd trampling to death of a Walmart employee.

Retailers do have a duty of care to their customers that falls under the premises liability theory. They are required to keep the store safe and clear of dangers and hazards. Not only does this include making sure that customers are not exposed to areas in the store where they could fall or have something fall on them, but it also applies to safety and security of customers. Knowing that certain events in the store may create chaos and mayhem if not run under controlled circumstances, but failing to hire security to facilitate that controlled environment, could cause a retailer to be liable for injuries a person receives in that chaos.

If you have sustained injuries because of the act of another person, please contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney to discuss your case and to find out what legal recourse you may have for your pain and loss.

Sources:

http://blackfridaydeathcount.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kyle-mccarthy/5-terrifying-things-about_b_6233882.html

https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/Crowd_Control.html

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/26/opin ion/cevallos-black-friday/

The first six months of this year has put 2015 on its way to being the most deadly driving year this country has had since 2007, according to statistics recently released by the National Safety Council (NSC). Between the months of January through June, there were almost 19,000 people killed in vehicle accidents. Another 2.2 million were injured.

Secondary to the tragic loss of life in these accidents is the increase in costs. The financial toll has spiked almost 25 percent higher than last year, with fatalities, injuries and damage to property already hitting $152 billion.

Two factors were cited as possible reasons for the increase. Lower gas prices—30 percent lower than last year—mean more people are on the roads. A lower unemployment rate also means an increase in vehicles on the road. People are better able to afford to travel and take vacations.

The NSC recommends that drivers take the following steps to ensure everyone stays safe on the nation’s roads:

• Insist that all passengers—including the driver—use their seat belts every time they get in the vehicle, no matter how short the trip. In fact, statistics show time and time again that the majority of vehicle accidents occur less than five miles from home.
• If you are going to a place where there will be drinking, make sure to have a designated driver. Never assume you are okay to drive after having any amount of alcohol. One in three traffic fatalities occur in alcohol-related crashes.
• Prior to driving, make sure to get plenty of rest. If you are feel drowsy while behind the wheel, pull over to a safe spot. Drowsy driving can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Estimates indicate that approximately 5,000 fatal crashes happen every year because a person was driving when he or she was too tired and should not have been behind the wheel.
• Do not use a cell phone while driving. Even using a hands-free device can still cause enough of a distraction for a driver to take his or her eyes off of the road.

If you have been injured in a vehicle crash caused by a negligent driver, please contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have for your pain and loss.

Sources:

http://www.nsc.org/NSCNewsReleases/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=64

http://www.drivingtoday.com/features/archive/crashes/index.html#axzz3nKPT3vvf

http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/about/

http://www.cdc.gov/features/dsdrowsydriving/

More than one-third of all vehicle fatalities that occur in the United States are alcohol-related. Over 10,000 people die every year in an accident where at least one driver had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or more. Yet, despite all the education, touting the dangers of drinking and driving, a new study reveals that millions of Americans are still not getting the message.

According to new statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than four million people admit to driving drunk at least once in the previous month. This works out to more than 120 million instances in a year’s time.

The study, which was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), also found that the area of the country with the highest number of people who admitted to getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking where in the Midwest.

When it comes to gender, men were responsible for 80 percent of the four million episodes of drinking and driving. Additionally, young men who are between the ages of 21 and 34 years of age were responsible for more than 30 percent of all the instances cited.

Binge drinking appears to be a particular issue with driving while drinking. More than 85 percent of those who participated admitted to binge drinking. Those binge drinkers accounted for 60 percent of those drunken driving instances. The binge drinkers also reported multiple instances of alcohol-impaired driving within the past 30 days.

Although the results of the study may seem shocking, given the negative associations society now has towards drunk driving compared to decades ago, the study’s authors did cite current strategies which do work when it comes to combatting drunk driving. Those cited included the nationwide recognition of 0.08 BAC driving statutes, law enforcement sobriety checkpoints which are announced to the public ahead of time, and the use of alcohol ignition interlocks for those convicted of drunk driving. The study also cited alcohol tax increases as another successful determent to drunk driving.

If you have been injured in a crash caused by a drunk driver, contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney today to find out what legal recourse you may have against the other driver for your pain and loss.

Sources:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2015/08/06/over-4-million-americans-say-theyve-driven-drunk-in-prior-month-cdc

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a2.htm