Taking a trip to the local water park is often a fun experience that many kids across the country have enjoyed over the years, but the fact remains that water parks can be particularly dangerous for patrons. Given the slick surfaces, high slides, shallow pools, and other risk factors at these facilities, injuries are not uncommon, including those that may be invisible to the naked eye.
Among the worst possible consequences of a water park visit is an infection, which can occur when water at the park isn’t properly treated. If you or a loved one visited one of these parks and developed an infection as a result, you may have a cause of action against the owners of the property. However, pursuing a lawsuit against a water park can be tricky, which is why you should consider enlisting the help of the experienced legal minds at the Reiff Law Firm. To speak with a water park accident lawyer to sue a water park for an infection, visit us online or call (215) 709-6940 to set up a free consultation.
What to Do if You Got an Infection from a Water Park
Determining the exact cause of an infection can be tricky, but the publicly used waters of a water park make for a likely culprit. The sheer number of people who splash around in the pools, race down the slides, and – let’s face it – leave behind bodily fluids can easily cause the water at these locations to become contaminated, the unfortunate result of which is that germs can thrive if proper precautions are not taken. If you believe you got an infection at a water park, take the following steps as soon as possible:
Document the Infection
If you’re suffering from an infection, the signs are probably painfully clear. Depending on the type of bacteria, virus, parasite, or amoeba that has set up camp in your body, symptoms can vary widely, but they often include things like a fever, fatigue, digestive problems, pain, and other overt indications that something is amiss. In other cases, a germ can lie dormant, incubating for a time before rearing its ugly head.
Whatever the nature of your infection, it’s important to document your struggles with it in any way you can. You may photograph visible symptoms or keep a journal of the infection’s progression, but the most important step to take is to keep any medical documentation you receive in the course of treatment. This information can go a long way toward supporting your claim.
Contact an Attorney Right Away
In any personal injury case, the victim has only a limited period of time in which to file their claim, which is established by the statute of limitations. In Pennsylvania, as in many other states, this time window is two years; while this may seem like plenty of time in which to file your claim, the process surrounding a civil suit can take some time, and you don’t want to risk losing the right to sue because you waited too long.
Another reason why timeliness is important is that the evidence linked to your case may not be around forever. If the water park discovers the existence of a contagion on the premises – the one that caused your infection – they may set about cleaning the water and eliminating the germ as fast as possible, which could make it harder to prove a connection between the park and your infection. An experienced lawyer to sue a water park for an infection can work to quickly gather evidence on your behalf, increasing your odds of a successful lawsuit.
Determining Liability When Suing a Water Park for an Infection
Once the presence and cause of an infection have been established, it’s time to ask the question: Who exactly is at fault? The answer to this inquiry may be simple, especially in the case of privately owned water parks, but it can also be incredibly complex in some cases. Most commonly, the person liable for a patron’s injuries, including infections, is the owner of the property, thanks to a principle called the “duty of ordinary care.”
In a nutshell, this concept means that owners are responsible for keeping their property free from hazards, especially those they should be able to foresee. In the case of a water park, the duty of ordinary care can mean that owners should be aware of the potential for bacterial contamination in their water and take steps to counter the possibility and keep patrons safe. However, owners aren’t always found to be at fault in these cases; depending on the source of the infection, an employee may be liable as well, provided they knowingly introduced a contaminant into the water supply.
One potential complication in these claims – with respect to determining liability – is the frequency with which park owners require guests to sign away some or all of their rights to litigation in the event of an injury. These contracts may be built into each ticket purchase, or they may take the form of an individual document. In any case, a skilled attorney can take a look at any agreement you may have signed (explicitly or otherwise) and figure out its validity, as well as its impact on your case.
Contact the Experienced Legal Team at the Reiff Law Firm to Sue a Water Park for an Infection
Over the years, the skilled legal experts at the Reiff Law Firm have dealt with a wide variety of personal injury cases, including premises liability claims like yours. If you got an infection at a water park, you deserve just compensation for all damages – be they medical bills, loss of work, or pain and suffering – but that compensation won’t simply fall into your lap. Contact the experienced lawyers to sue a water park for an infection at the Reiff Law Firm online or by calling (215) 709-6940 and set up your free consultation today.
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