When you’re involved in a slip-and-fall accident, the disorienting nature and often-intense injuries associated with them can become overwhelming. Due to this, you must understand what your legal rights are after you’ve been victimized by a slip-and-fall accident on someone else’s property. To help you handle this difficult situation with ease, here is an eight-step guide to successfully navigating a slip-and-fall accident:
1. Get the Medical Attention That You Need
More importantly than any other step, you must seek immediate medical attention for your injuries. Even if you feel as though you’re mostly unharmed, getting a medical checkup to look for any injuries you’ve sustained is critical. Doing so will not only protect your health, but it will ensure that you’re prepared for the legal fight that might be happening shortly.
2. Determine the Cause of Your Fall
Right after a slip and fall accident, it is normal to be disoriented and uncertain as to what really caused the accident to happen in the first place. Each of the steps on this list will help you determine the cause of the fall in the eyes of the law, however. If you have a trusted friend or loved one nearby, you should ask them to help you determine what you believe the cause of the accident to be. With a slip and fall accident lawyer representing you, determining the cause of the fall will become that much simpler.
3. Take Pictures of the Accident Scene
Pictures are by far one of the best pieces of evidence you’ll have at your disposal during the legal challenges ahead of you. If there are any hazards visible around the accident scene, be sure to document these in an extra thorough fashion. Documenting your injuries with pictures is incredibly important as well. Once again, it may be useful to seek assistance for completing this step, especially if you’re seriously injured because of your slip and fall accident.
4. Get Every Witnesses’ Contact Info
No matter if they are professionals associated with the property, bystanders, or someone you know, you should get the contact info of every single witness around you. Doing so will prove invaluable when it’s time to put together your case. If you fail to complete this crucial step, you’ll have a difficult time navigating the complexities of any slip and fall accident claim you might file later on.
5. Get Any Assistance Providers’ Contact Info
Especially when you’re receiving medical attention at the scene of the accident, everyone involved in your treatment should be recorded. Getting a written report of the incident from them, alongside their contact info, will be essential to getting the restitution you deserve for any injuries that you’ve suffered. Once again, this step is one that you simply cannot afford to skip out on.
6. File Official Injury Reports
Next, you need to begin filing as many official injury and incident reports as possible. Filing reports with property managers, owners, landlords, and police are highly recommended after a slip and fall accident. These written, official reports will allow you to build a case later on and will ensure that you know exactly what went down during and after your tragic slip and fall accident.
7. Retain Any Security Footage from the Accident
If at all possible, you should get access to any security footage or bystander footage that showcases the accident in real time. Many cases will not have the luxury of obtaining this type of evidence, but if you do get your hands on this type of valuable footage, it will make your case that much more airtight.
8. Avoid Speaking to Insurance Adjusters
After you’ve been in a slip-and-fall accident, insurance adjusters may begin to swarm you for details. Letting a qualified attorney handle these conversations is crucial to keeping you legally protected, and helping you win your case in the future. If the insurance adjusters representing the at-fault party try to contact you, you should refuse to speak to them unless you are legally required to do so.
You Must Hire a Qualified Personal Injury Attorney
Trying to navigate this difficult time on your own can lead to disastrous consequences. You need a knowledgeable attorney by your side to ensure that you both get the restitution that you deserve, and that you are not overwhelmed by the legal process. With any luck, you’ll be back to your normal life in no time at all.
Disclaimer: This article is NOT legal advice.
Featured image by upklyak on Freepik.
