Slip and fall accidents occur on properties such as schools, workplaces, restaurants, hospitals, etc., and involve a walking hazard that causes a person to lose their balance and fall to the ground. Direct impact with the hard ground can expose a person to significant harm and cause severe injuries, such as back and neck injuries, broken bones, and hip fractures.
Property owners can be held liable for slip and fall accident damages if their negligence caused the slip and fall accident. There are many steps slip and fall accident victims must take to receive medical treatment and put themselves in a position to pursue compensatory damages. These steps can include collecting evidence, going to the hospital, reporting the slip and fall accident, and hiring a slip and fall accident lawyer.
Collect Evidence of the Walking Hazard at the Scene of the Slip and Fall Accident
Immediately following a slip and fall accident, a victim’s instinct may be to leave the scene and receive medical attention. While that is important, it’s also essential to collect evidence at the location of the accident. This will be the victim’s only chance to collect tangible evidence of what caused the slip and fall accident in the form of photos and videos.
If you were the victim of a slip and fall accident, take out your phone and take as many pictures of the accident scene as you can. Make sure you take photos of the hazard that caused the accident. Ensure that your framing of the hazard shows how you could have missed seeing it and could not avoid walking over it. Before leaving the accident scene, you should also speak to witnesses about what they saw and exchange contact information in case their testimony can help you later.
Receive Medical Attention for Your Slip and Fall Accident Injuries
A slip and fall accident victim must also prioritize their health by going to the hospital for medical attention. Direct impact with a hard floor after a fall can cause a severe injury that damages a body part and affects a person’s quality of life. They may have to live with intense pain and significant impact on their daily life because their body part may not function as before.
The following are some of the possible severe injuries caused by a slip and fall accident:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Hip fractures
- Broken bones
- Facial injuries
After collecting evidence at the slip and fall accident scene, the victim should receive medical attention. They may not suffer symptoms immediately, but they may just be delayed. An experienced healthcare professional can use diagnostic imaging and a physical exam to determine whether the victim suffered a severe injury. They can also suggest methods for treating severe injuries through medication, physical therapy, or surgery. This hospital visit, dated the same day as the slip and fall accident, proves you took your injuries seriously and can help you as you pursue compensation from the at-fault party.
Report the Slip and Fall Accident to the Property Owner
In most personal injury accidents, the victim must report the accident to some form of authority. For example, after a car accident involving a severe injury, most states require a police report that involves a responding officer coming to and evaluating the scene.
In the case of a slip and fall accident, the victim should notify the property owner or whoever is in charge of the property at the time of the accident about what happened. This allows the property owner to fix the issue so somebody else doesn’t get injured. It also proves that the slip and fall accident happened and disallows the property owner from acting ignorant about the incident when you pursue compensation for damages.
Document All of the Essential Details of the Slip and Fall Accident
Once you have a moment after the slip and fall accident, you should document all of the important details you can remember from the incident. These details can include when, where, how the slip and fall occurred, and what transpired after the accident. These details will be important as you move forward with your claim. It’s likely that you will have to go over what occurred multiple times, possibly with the at-fault party’s insurance company or during a court case. Write down the details so you do not have contradictory information about what happened during the slip and fall accident.
Keep the Details of Your Slip and Fall Claim Off Social Media
While you weigh your options for pursuing compensation for slip and fall accident damages, you should make sure that you keep details of the accident off social media. You may feel like going online to complain about the property owner’s negligence, but that can affect your claim. Settlement negotiations involve the property owner, and trying to tarnish their reputation can affect whether they are willing to settle.
If you pursue compensation for pain and suffering caused by the slip and fall accident, it can be contradictory to post on social media like everything is okay. An insurance company will use everything it can to deny, delay, or devalue your claim, and contradictory social media posts are often used to limit a victim’s settlement. Make sure to keep off social media until your claim is settled.
Hire a Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer
One of the most important steps after a slip and fall accident is hiring a lawyer to represent you during the claims process. You likely do not have the experience to handle the claims process without committing an error that can affect your ability to recover compensation.
An experienced slip and fall accident attorney will be able to advise you on what steps you should take to increase your chances of recovering compensation for economic damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, and lost earning potential. They can also help you calculate the value of how the slip and fall accident affected your quality of life. A slip and fall accident lawyer is integral to the claims process, can help you handle the process efficiently, and can maximize your potential for recovering compensation for damages.
Contact The Russo Firm for Help With Your Slip and Fall Accident Claim
At The Russo Firm, our slip and fall accident lawyers have experience in handling slip and fall accident claims and a proven track record of helping victims recover fair compensation. Our slip and fall accident lawyers can help you by calculating the costs of your current and future damages, determining the at-fault party, collecting evidence to prove your case, and negotiating with the at-fault party’s insurance company. Contact us today for a free consultation at (561) 270-0913 or leave a message on our online contact page.
