Summer is here, and thousands of Los Angelenos will pack up the car or the R.V. and head to the California mountains and/or beaches to enjoy the outdoors au natural. While camping can be an ideal family or solo activity, there are also potential threats that could result in serious personal injuries that every California family should consider as part of their pre-camping checklist.
Just ask any knowledgeable park ranger — campgrounds and parks are ripe with potential opportunities to injure you and/or your family when camping. Therefore, it is important to practice safety measures while you are in the California wilderness. An injury can happen to you or a loved one — especially children — in an instant. Some injuries occur because of an individual’s admitted carelessness, but more often than not, a serious camping accident is a result of a third party’s negligence (such as the park’s) and has nothing to do with you or your family. Unfortunately, you are the ones who suffer. That’s why skilled personal injury lawyers in Los Angeles are here to help.
A common campsite potential hazard are improperly maintained trashcans. For many reasons (often relating to your safety), most campgrounds are required to have metal, locked trash cans that are hard to access and do not leak a scent, thereby keeping bears and other wildlife from poking around in your trash bins for something to eat. While often harmless, bears are wild animals with unpredictable behavior. As many horror stories have shown, when bears are near a campsite, there is a chance that they could attack someone present; especially a young child who is not fully aware of the dangers of approaching a furry and friendly looking bear.
Another danger lurking in California campsites is the fire. While some California campsites provide a small pit surrounded by concrete, others allow campers to build a campfire wherever the camper desire. If your camping neighbor is not educated on how to build, maintain, or put out a fire the right way, you and your family may end up being seriously in a fire that was the result of someone else’s negligence. In an instance like this, it is best to discuss your legal rights with an experienced Los Angeles injury lawyer.
Next up: park maintenance. Campsites run by the state or other government agency are generally required to employ rangers to monitor the area and make sure that negligent, inappropriate, or dangerous activity is not taking place. This does not mean your campsite is danger-free. Therefore, it is a good idea to pay close attention: If your campsite is lacking ranger supervision and your are injured by another camper, a wild animal, an uncontrolled campfire, or some other reason, then you might be able to sue the responsible entity to recover money for any injuries (to your body or your property) that you or a loved one suffered. California law clearly states that you or your loved ones should not have to suffer because of someone else’s negligence.
Talk to a personal injury attorney in Los Angeles for more information on campsite negligence and financial recovery. The experienced trial lawyers at BIKLAW have successfully represented personal injury victims and helped them recover the money they deserve.