4 Mistakes That Can Be Made With A Slip-And-Fall Claim
Becoming injured from a slip and fall is not something that anyone wants to go through, but if you are injured, you'll want to seek compensation for your injuries. In order to make sure that happens, do not make any of these mistakes with your slip-and-fall claim.
Not Making A Report
You do need documentation that your slip and fall happened, and it starts with reporting the incident to the responsible party. Do not make the assumption that others will take care of this for you, because if a report isn't made, the responsible party could later claim that the incident never happened.
Not Getting Contact Info of Witnesses
Did anybody see the fall happen? They could be the key to proving your case. Make sure to take down the contact information of anybody that witnessed the fall, since you may need to get in touch with them later if your case ends up going to court.
Not Taking Photos of the Scene
With smart phones being so common, there are no excuses to not take photos of the scene after the slip and fall. You'll want to photograph the area where you fell while focusing on the potential causes. It could be something such as demonstrating an uneven sidewalk, a patch of ice, a missing stair handrail, or any other factor that contributed to it. If you go back to take photos later, the responsible party may have fixed the problem already.
Not Getting Medical Attention
It's important that you seek medical attention immediately so that your injuries can be attributed to the fall. If you do not because you don't think the injuries are that bad at first, you may have difficulty proving when the injury occurred. It's possible that the responsible party will accuse you of getting injured elsewhere and you're lying to try to get compensation.
Signing Release Forms
Never sign a release form immediately following the incident, even if you think you are feeling fine. The extent of your injury may not be apparent until days later, and by that point you cannot take back the release form that you signed.
Not Contacting A Lawyer
Personal injury cases can be complicated with the need to prove negligence. There could also be negotiations with an insurance company to receive compensation for your injuries. If you do not have experience doing these things, you could end up not getting the compensation you deserve.
For a personal injury lawyer, contact a law firm such as Clearfield & Kofsky.
Share