Premises liability attorneys from Fetterman & Associates, PA, understand how serious slip and fall accidents can be. While you may not think these accidents lead to serious injuries, they can. When this happens, you deserve to receive compensation for your injuries and losses. Our legal team is ready to help you through the entire legal process.
Slip and fall accidents can occur in homes or public areas. They are often caused by things like dangerous facilities, improper maintenance, neglect, and poor weather conditions.
Some populations, such as disabled people and senior citizens, are more likely to experience a serious injury due to a slip and fall. The state of Florida has a high population of both seniors and disabled individuals. Unfortunately, slips and falls are among these demographics’ most common causes of serious injuries and premature death.
When you are ready to file a slip and fall accident claim, it’s smart to hire an experienced slip and fall lawyer. Our legal team will work to ensure you get the best possible outcome for your claim. If you experienced an injury due to a property owner’s negligence, it’s smart to have the best legal representation available.
Steps to Take After Being Injured in a Slip and Fall Accident
Taking the right steps after being injured in a slip and fall accident is essential to protect your rights and ability to receive compensation. Use these steps if you find yourself in this situation.
Report the Injury
You must immediately notify the property owner or store manager of the accident. When you report the incident, you receive a report that documents what happened, where, what injuries you sustained, and the name of the person taking the report. While having this report is essential for you, you want to ensure the property owner or store manager has a copy too.
Sometimes, you will be asked to sign paperwork or documents. It’s best to wait to do this until your attorney reviews the information. You may unknowingly sign a waiver that prevents you from seeking compensation.
Gather Witness Information
It’s important to gather information from any witnesses to your accident. However, don’t have a conversation beyond that. The testimony they provide may be beneficial in helping you establish the foundation of your case. Just make sure you don’t have a needless discussion regarding the specifics of your case.
If you discuss your case with them, this may be used against you when you file a claim. Because of this, you want to ensure you keep the conversation to a minimum. Just confirm that they saw what happened and get their contact information. You shouldn’t discuss the case with the property owner or staff beyond providing your version of what happened. Don’t represent the extent of your injuries or why you think they are to blame for the accident.
Collect Photo and Video Evidence
As mentioned above, you must gather proper evidence for your slip and fall case. Be sure to take photos of the area where you fell and any injuries you experienced. If you can, get video footage, too. The more you document the conditions and scene that resulted in your injuries, the better off you will be.
Take care when photographing cuts, scrapes, and bruises since these can heal quickly. If you don’t get a good picture of them, it may be difficult to show the extent of your injuries later. When you take photos of your injuries while they are visible, you have better documentation of the damages you experienced.
Take Notes About the Dangerous Condition
If you are dealing with a slip and fall case, it will likely hinge on factors like how long the dangerous condition was present before you suffered an injury or if the store had reason to know there was a hazard on the floor.
When your injury occurs, if there is evidence related to the dangerous condition that caused your injury, such as how long it was there prior to the accident, if others reported it, or if someone else was injured because of the same hazard, you need to document it. These details can make or break a slip and fall case. If you don’t document these things right after the accident, they will probably be lost forever.
Get Medical Treatment
As mentioned above, if you are injured because of a slip and fall accident, you need to get medical treatment immediately. If your injuries are serious, request that someone call an ambulance.
When you get treatment, make sure you explain that your injury occurred because of a slip and fall and that you need treatment for the injuries caused by the accident. These medical records are important evidence in these cases. You want to ensure that your records are clear and show you are receiving treatment for the injuries you sustained in a slip and fall accident.
Make sure your medical provider notes all your injuries, even if they seem minor. While some injuries may seem minor at first, you shouldn’t ignore them. Failing to document your injuries at the start of your treatment may make it impossible to get compensation for them in the future.
While you may know you injured your knee in the accident, if you don’t tell your doctor, they won’t note it in your chart. If you need knee surgery a few months later, it will be hard to show that it’s due to the accident since it wasn’t originally documented. In this situation, it will be hard to connect the dots and receive compensation for this injury.
Don’t Sign Anything
If a property manager or business manager offers you something that requires a signature, avoid signing without having your attorney review it first. This is something that can’t be understated. They may even offer you money to get you to sign something. In most cases, they will be trying to get you to sign a waiver that you won’t file a claim. If you are not careful or if you are too quick, you may damage your case and lose the chance to receive compensation.
Statute of Limitations in Florida Slip and Fall Accidents
There is no official deadline to receive medical treatment after a slip and fall in Florida. However, there is a limit to how long you have to file a claim. You have four years after your accident to file a lawsuit, according to Florida Statutes 95.11.
While you have four years, you should not wait four years or even one year to seek medical treatment. If possible, you should see a doctor within 72 hours of the accident to document your injuries that occurred in the accident.
Don’t Wait to Contact Our Premises Liability Attorneys for Help with Your Case
If you were injured because of a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, contact our premises liability attorneys at Fetterman & Associates, PA. Our legal team has years of experience representing accident victims and can use our resources to help prove your case.
The injuries you sustain in a slip and fall accident can be significant and impact your life now and in the future. If you want to receive a fair settlement offer, let us help. Remember, insurance companies are focused on protecting their bottom line. This means reducing the settlement you receive. We will ensure that doesn’t happen.
Read More