It can happen at any hour, any minute, any second; you’re walking along when all of a sudden you hit the ground hard. It takes you a second to register what even happened. The embarrassment you feel causes you to quickly try to stand up, but you soon realize that something’s wrong.
Unfortunately, scenarios like this play out all across the country on a daily basis. In fact, slip and fall accidents are responsible for countless injuries every year, leaving victims dealing with everything from broken bones to spinal or head injuries. When you find yourself in such a scenario, get in touch with our qualified slip and fall lawyer right away.
Statically, 1 in 3 adults age 65 or older falls each year, but less than half talk to their healthcare providers about it based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, more than 33,000 people died from falls in 2015. Each year, over 8 million emergency room visits are due to slips, trips, and falls. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for adults age 65 and older.
There are four generalized categories under which fall down accidents are grouped:
Most slip and fall accidents occur in a business setting. These events fall under the category of premise liability because they are generally caused by the business or property owner not adequately maintaining the area where the event occurred.
The first thing on your mind after a slip and fall accident should be your well-being. If you have been seriously injured, it’s imperative to remain where you are and call for emergency medical assistance immediately. Do not attempt to stand up or move until help has arrived. If someone tries to help you up, politely tell them that you would rather wait until the professionals have arrived before attempting to move.
If you are not seriously injured, it’s still important to seek medical attention. Visit a doctor or emergency room immediately after leaving the scene of the accident–even if you do not believe you are badly hurt. Why? Symptoms of an injury may not appear for hours or days following an accident. If you wait until symptoms appear, it may be harder to treat your injuries. For this reason, it’s best to have a doctor examine you immediately following the accident so they can identify and treat injuries right away. Once you feel a bit better, it is of utmost significance to contact our proficient slip and fall lawyer.
Before leaving the scene of the accident, find someone who is in charge of the premises so you can tell them what happened. But, it’s important to watch what you say when speaking to the manager or owner of the premises. Do not go into details about your condition or the amount of pain you are experiencing as a result of the fall. You should also avoid discussing anything that you were doing that could have contributed to the slip and fall. For example, if you were distracted by your phone when you slipped, leave this detail out when talking about the accident with the manager or owner.
Make sure to ask them to put the report in writing so you can have a copy. Hold onto this copy, so you have proof that the accident happened and that the premises were immediately made aware of it.
Return to where the fall occurred and document as much evidence as possible before leaving. Take photographs of the exact location so you can prove that the floors were wet or that there was an obstacle in your path that caused your fall. It’s best to take photographs up close, and from afar so you can capture as much of the location as possible. All of these things will assist our slip and fall lawyer in developing a solid case.
You will also need to take pictures of any visible injuries, such as cuts or bruises. It’s helpful to also take pictures of the clothing you were wearing at the time of the accident–especially your shoes. The defendant may argue that you fell as a result of your footwear or loose clothing, but these pictures can prove them wrong.
Look around the scene of the accident to see if there are any security cameras pointed in your direction. If you see any cameras, take pictures of them in case the premise owner destroys them and denies that they were ever there. You should also note the exact location of the cameras so you can request the footage.
Contact our slip and fall lawyer as soon as possible after leaving the scene of the accident. Be sure to find a personal injury attorney that has experience representing slip and fall victims. Slip and fall cases are complex, so you will need an attorney who has a history of winning compensation for their clients in these difficult cases.
Make sure your attorney has copies of all of the evidence you have gathered so far, including photos, witness statements, accident reports, and medical records. Then, explain what happened to your attorney in as much detail as possible. An attorney will need to know all of the facts in order to do their job.
Your attorney will then launch an investigation into the accident to determine who is liable. After liability is determined, your attorney can begin negotiating for compensation with the at-fault party’s insurance company. If the insurance company is unwilling to make a fair offer, your attorney has the option of filing a lawsuit and taking your case to court.
Have you been injured in a slip and fall accident? If you are, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but recovering this compensation is never easy. Let our experienced personal injury attorneys go head-to-head with the at-fault party’s insurance company and fight tirelessly to secure the compensation you deserve.
While often overlooked in personal injury, slip and fall accidents often account for many of the most gruesome and catastrophic forms of injury or even death. Our expert slip and fall lawyer understands that no one slip and fall case is the same; there are several factors in determining whether you have a legitimate slip and fall claim including:
Slip and fall accidents can cause serious injuries—whether they’re triggered by slippery surfaces, defective construction, or other unsafe circumstances. An experienced slip and fall lawyer can guide you on the validity of your incident.
If you have been or love one been injured on someone else’s property due to an owner’s negligence, our Slip and Fall Lawyers are here to get you the help you need. Fill out a free initial consultation form or call us for free at 310-894-6440.
Too few slip and fall injury victims see their doctors about their accidents, or talk to an attorney. Sometimes, victims may feel embarrassed about a fall, or think the accident was their fault. Many of these accidents go unreported, even though they aren’t always the victim’s fault.
Some of the most common causes of slip and fall injuries include:
Based on the specifications of your case – the details of the accident, how severe your injury was, it is ultimately going to determine what you could be entitled to sustain based on your case. However, what you can be compensated for with the help of our unrivaled slip and fall lawyer if your case prevails can often be put into several different categories.
The categories of compensation can include:
Medical bills: Should you win your case, you could be awarded compensation for medical bills you’ve had to pay as a result of your injury. This includes both past and future bills stemming from the injury, and can potentially cover expenses such as transport or in-home rehabilitation services.
Lost wages: Lost wages can be awarded if your injury has caused significant missed time at work, or has made you unable to perform your job. You could be entitled to even more lost wages if the injury leaves you permanently disabled and unable to find consistent work.
Pain and suffering: In some cases, the damages endured from physical pain and emotional suffering can be compensated to pay for therapy treatments.
Punitive damages: Punitive damages are awarded in more extreme cases, wherein the injury was caused by someone’s recklessness. They are awarded to try and dissuade the defendant and others from acting with that level of recklessness again.
If you are in need of a Slip and Fall Injury lawyer to help you get the appropriate compensation and medical care you deserve, you should contact a Slip and Fall Injury accident lawyer today. Our experienced slip and fall lawyer will help you overcome your Slip and Fall Injury or damage.
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