It’s December and weeks away from Christmas. This is the time of year that many businesses have their holiday parties where co-workers get together for food and drinks and celebrate the holiday season. Some businesses have their holiday parties at their place of employment and others have them at a local restaurant or establishment.
While holiday parties are supposed to be fun and festive occasions, they can end up in becoming a tragedy. This happens when someone is seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident after the holiday party. Most times, the tragic accident and injuries are caused by drunk driving. Below are some tips to consider before a company holiday party to make sure you stay safe and are not seriously injured in an accident.
Tips to Stay Safe During Your Holiday Parties
Drink Responsibly: It is well established and probably well understood that alcohol affects our abilities to safely operate a motor vehicle. Alcohol interferes with our cognitive abilities to perform normal functions, such as driving a car safely. Alcohol reduces our abilities to react timely and make proper decisions. This results in many drunk drivers failing to pay attention to the other cars on the road and being unable to stop in time. This routinely results in rear-end collisions. Alcohol also may cause riskier driving behaviors when behind the wheel. Therefore, if you are attending a work party this holiday season, be sure to drink responsibly and make arrangements beforehand so you do not have to drive home after having a few holiday cocktails.
Avoid Distractions: When workers attend a company holiday party they may carpool to and from the party. With many people in one car on the way to or back from a fun holiday party, drivers may get distracted from their responsibilities of driving safely. Everyone is probably in a great mood, the music may be on and everyone is having fun with co-workers outside of the workplace. This sometimes leads to a driver being distracted from the road. Distracted driving is well documented to be a major cause of crashes and serious injuries. Distracted driving can have serious consequences. So, remember that when you’re heading out to or coming home from a company party this holiday season, the safe operation of your vehicle is your number one priority.
Be Aware of Other Drivers: You and your co-workers are probably not the only ones enjoying the holiday season. Traffic tends to increase over the holidays. Other businesses and companies may be having their holiday parties, which means there may be some drunk drivers on the roadways. Also, many people venturing out to the shopping malls to get their holiday shopping done. With the increase in holiday traffic comes the increase of the risk of being involved in an accident. So, whether you are on your way to or from a holiday party this season, be extra vigilant. Keep an eye out for other drivers on the road and practice some defensive driving techniques, such as focusing on the road, drive slowly, and be aware of your surroundings and other divers on the road.
What to Do If You Are Injured in an Accident
At Mahaney & Pappas, LLP, we have personally witnessed the tragedies of serious motor vehicle crashes and injuries. Sometimes, even when we follow tips to stay safe and regardless of how careful we drive, we are unable to avoid accidents. Serious crashes and injuries can result in very expensive medical bills, lost wages and severe pain and suffering and, in some cases, permanent injuries.
If you are seriously injured by a drunk driver this holiday season, you have the right to seek financial compensation for your injuries, damages and losses. If you are injured in a car accident in Massachusetts that was caused by someone else’s negligence or carelessness you have the legal right to pursue recovery of compensation. You shouldn't be burdened with the financial responsibility of paying for the expensive costs of medical treatment and other damages that was caused by someone else’s negligent driving, especially during the holidays. With a personal injury claim, you can seek to recover compensation for your medical costs and expenses and any missed time at work and lost earnings.
Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t make it easy to get the compensation you deserve. They routinely use common insurance tactics to deny personal injury claims and create complicated legal issues that may prevent you from getting the money you deserve. That is why you should make sure you know what steps to take to put you in the best position to get the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Contact Our Framingham Personal Injury Attorneys Today
We always recommend educating yourself on the personal injury claim process. The Three Important Steps to take Immediately After a Car Accident is a great start to making sure you are protecting your right to receive fair compensation for your damages. Also, our free book You Were in a Car Accident: How to Maximize Your Settlement has a lot of great information to educate you on how to get the compensation you deserve . These materials are very helpful and will inform you on what to do and what not to do so you and your loved ones are in the position to get what you deserve after being seriously injured in a crash.
