What to Do If You Have a Slip and Fall Accident
What to Do If You Have a Slip and Fall Accident
Businesses have a duty to keep their properties reasonably safe for their customers. Unfortunately, some businesses fail in their duties, and a fall can quickly turn into a serious situation. Slip and fall accidents are more common than most people think. Knowing what to do ahead of time will give you an advantage.
Here’s what to do if you suffer a slip and fall accident:
Pinpoint the cause of the fall.
- Was your slip and fall caused by frayed carpet, a disheveled floor mat, uneven flooring, items left in the aisle or walkway, or insufficient lighting? Was your slip and fall caused by a substance on the floor? How would you characterize the substance that caused you to slip and fall? Did the substance have texture, and how large of an area did the substance cover? Was it clear, colored, thick, cloudy, wet, dry, sandy, powdery, sticky, greasy, oily? What products are in the surrounding area of the substance on the floor? Where was it? The beverage aisle, baking goods, etc.?
- Find out if your incident was captured on surveillance video and request that any footage be maintained. This video can provide supporting evidence of dangerous conditions that the business should have been aware of.
Seek medical treatment.
- If you are injured in a slip and fall accident, seek medical treatment right away. It is important to be evaluated by a physician so that your injuries can be properly treated and documented. If you are experiencing extreme pain, request to be transported by ambulance to a hospital. If you are not experiencing extreme pain immediately after the incident, it is still possible you sustained serious injuries. We recommend seeking evaluation from your primary care physician or an emergency room or urgent care clinic. Medical records will be essential in seeking compensation for your injuries.
Document as much as you can.
- Request the names and contact information of persons that witnessed the fall and/or the dangerous condition that caused it. Even a bystander who came along after the fall could still provide valuable information as to the conditions after the fall. Take photographs and/or video with your cell phone. Get plenty of photos of the exact location where you fell, photograph anything that would help show the cause of your fall, and photograph the area surrounding where the fall occurred. Pictures can speak volumes when making an injury claim. Secure the clothing and shoes you wore during the incident.
- Maintain detailed notes of all your appointments, take photographs of your injuries, keep a diary of things the injury has prevented you from doing following the accident. Any evidence that you can provide to support your case will be helpful during the process. Write down exactly what you remember about the accident as soon as possible. An accurate, detailed account of what happened can be critical.
Report your slip and fall accident.
- Report the incident, preferably, to a store manager at the time of the fall. Advise the manager you want to make a formal report about the fall. Ask if there is surveillance footage in the area where the fall occurred that may have captured the fall. Ask that the of any employees that assisted you after the fall, as well as any witness accounts be included in the report.
Contact a slip and fall personal injury attorney.
A slip and fall injury claim requires the knowledge of a skilled attorney. Businesses have a duty to barricade or block dangerous conditions on the floor of its premises, as well as train, educate, and instruct employees to properly monitor, remove, barricade, warn, and/or remedy dangerous conditions. A dangerous condition on the floor of its premises should be timely warned of, remedied, or removed before allowing people in the area. The insurance company is looking out for the interest of the business. A slip and fall personal injury attorney is there to help you through the process.
If you’ve experienced a slip and fall accident as a business, contact us today for a free consultation.
Lori A. Snead is a Senior Litigation Paralegal with law firm, Brown & Crouppen, P.C. She concentrates in Plaintiff Personal Injury Litigation. Ms. Snead handles all aspects of a case from initial investigation to trial participation. As a litigation lead, she provides guidance and support to a staff of litigation paralegals and legal assistants involved in prosecuting lawsuits. In the year 2000 Ms. Snead earned her associate’s degree in paralegal legal studies from Southwestern Illinois College. Ms. Snead has been a practicing legal professional since 1998.