Whether you travel for work or pleasure, visiting Massachusetts or New Hampshire should be something to look forward to. The last thing you expect is for you or a loved one to come home hurt, but accidents can happen anywhere. Here are some ways to reduce the risk of travel injuries and what to do if you’re harmed while you’re away.
How Travel Injuries Can Happen
Travel injuries can happen in many different ways. Below are just a few examples:
- Rideshare accidents
- Rental car crashes
- Bicycle and scooter accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Boating injuries
- Slip and fall incidents
- Animal attacks
- Drownings
These incidents can happen at hotels and rental homes, airports, pools, beaches, and almost any other public area.
Ways to Reduce Risk
Before You Go
Do Your Research
Before your trip, you should check out where you’re staying and how you plan to get around. You may also want to look at weather predictions for the area and make note of any closed roads, beach conditions, and other restrictions for activities you might be enjoying. This can help you avoid last-minute decisions that put you in an unsafe situation.
Check Reviews
It’s also smart to look at online or published reviews for places you’ll be visiting, including hotels and restaurants. While reviews aren’t a guarantee, they can help you identify potential safety issues. For example, if multiple recent hotel reviews point out a broken set of stairs, you may want to reconsider staying at that establishment. User photos can also help you get a better idea of what to expect when you go.
Plan For Emergencies
Make sure you have emergency contact numbers on hand and keep them easily accessible for everyone in your group. You may also want to look up where hospitals are in advance so you can navigate to the emergency room quickly if needed.
In addition to any prescription medications that you need, it’s a good idea to pack medications for travel sickness, stomach upset, and other common illnesses.
During Your Trip
Stay Alert
It’s easy to get distracted when traveling, especially if you’re looking at directions, carrying luggage, or trying to keep track of other people in your group. But it’s important to maintain awareness of your surroundings, especially around traffic or when engaging in a potentially hazardous activity like boating. Doing so may help you spot a potential issue before it turns into something serious.
Be Cautious
Caution is key when you’re traveling away from home. When you’re around things that are unfamiliar, it can be harder to judge what is and isn’t safe quickly. Take your time and avoid things that seem dangerous, like a rideshare driver who appears impaired or a boat that does not seem well-maintained.
Use Safety Gear
Make sure you use safety equipment when available, such as wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle or a seatbelt when using public transit.
What If You Notice a Hazard?
If you notice a hazard while traveling, you should report it to the person or business in charge. So for an issue in a hotel, you would want to talk to the staff or a manager. If your ridesharing driver seems intoxicated, you would contact the app you booked the ride through. When possible, it can be helpful to take a photo or video of the issue. Then, do your best to avoid known problems.
What to Do After a Travel Injury
- Get medical care. No matter the severity of an incident, you should have a medical professional assess you. This can help identify hidden injuries and creates a record that you were involved in an accident or some other type of harm.
- Report what happened. If you haven’t already reported a danger, doing so after you are hurt is even more important. Make sure someone knows how your injury happened, where it happened, and what may have caused it.
- Gather records. Next, obtain a printed copy of your medical records to take home with you, as well as any other relevant information or evidence. It may be more difficult to get copies of these things sent to you once you leave the area you were visiting.
When to Talk to a Travel Injury Lawyer
You may want to talk to a lawyer if you or a family member were hurt while traveling in Massachusetts or New Hampshire and you aren’t sure what to do next. An attorney can help you understand whether negligence may have played a role and look at who may be responsible. They can also guide you through the steps of filing a legal claim, dealing with insurance companies, and navigating the process of recovery.
Hurt While Traveling? Contact Mazow | McCullough, PC Today
A trip can change quickly when an injury happens. If you or someone you know was hurt while traveling in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, contact Mazow | McCullough, PC. We can answer questions you may have about what happened and what legal options are available to you. Call now for a free, no-obligation consultation at (978) 744-8000 or toll-free at (855) 693-9084.
