After motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls are the most common injury claims filed in the state of Florida. These accidents can occur at any time and in any location.
If you fall on someone else’s property, you may delay reporting the incident, seeking medical treatment, and talking to an attorney. You may do this believing your case is not worth pursuing or that you were not seriously injured.
Unfortunately, many injuries sustained in a slip and fall accident can take time to show symptoms. If you have not reported the incident, it may be challenging to do so at this point.
At Fetterman & Associates, P.A., our Port St Lucie slip and fall lawyers are here to help you file a claim and recover compensation if you have slipped and fallen on someone else’s property.
Learning why acting quickly after a slip and fall accident is so important may also be helpful.
You Need to File an Accident Report
If you fall at a store, government office, or another public location, you should immediately report the incident to the manager or property owner. They should file a report about what happened and how the incident occurred.
This report is invaluable evidence if you plan to file an accident claim.
If the property owner or manager creates no report, request their name and any other pertinent information, including what they said when you told them about your accident. If possible, get permission to record what they say to you after a slip and fall.
Evidence Can be Lost or Destroyed
When you slip, trip, or fall on someone’s property, and a hazardous condition causes the incident, you should capture photos of the accident scene.
You need to do this mainly because you must prove that the property owner or occupier had reasonable knowledge of what caused your fall and did nothing to remedy the situation. If you do not capture photos directly after your accident, the property owner or occupier may “fix” the hazard, eliminating any evidence of what happened.
While this does not make a case impossible, it will be much harder to prove.
Witnesses’ Memories Will Fade
If you are in a public location when you slip, trip, and fall, there will likely be people around who see what happens. Witness testimony in these cases can be beneficial; however, they will not remember the details of what happened forever.
By collecting the names and contact information from witnesses at the scene, you can give them to your lawyer, who can contact them for a statement soon after your accident.
You can also ask the witness to record or write down what they saw happen. By doing this, you can feel confident the accident is fresh in their minds, and they will remember more details than if you wait to act and get their account of the incident.
Insurance Companies May Claim You Were Not Truly Injured
If you do not act right after a slip and fall accident, the insurance company for the property owner may claim you were not injured, that the injury was not severe, or that you injured yourself somewhere else.
This is an effective defense strategy in many slip and fall cases because if you were injured, you would try to report what happened and seek medical treatment immediately.
Waiting to act is never a good idea. It will only cause issues if you try to file a personal injury lawsuit in the future.
Contact Our Office to Schedule a Free Consultation After a Florida Slip and Fall Accident
Knowing what to do after a slip and fall accident is difficult. However, our legal team is here to help.
Contact us at Fetterman & Associates, P.A., to discuss your claim and ensure you get the representation you deserve. Our personal injury lawyers can launch an investigation into what happened and if the property owner or occupier’s negligence led to your accident and injuries.
Not all cases are worth pursuing, but we can let you know if you have a viable claim. If you can collect evidence immediately after the accident, it will increase the likelihood of a successful case.
Do not wait to report a slip and fall incident or to seek medical treatment. These are the two most important steps you can take after this accident. Once you have done this, contact our office. We will provide representation, advice, and guidance throughout the legal process so you can focus on recovering from your injuries. We will also work to help you recover the maximum compensation for your claim.
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