Slip And Fall Accident
Slip and fall accidents are among the incidents that may happen commonly. When this happens, a person trips or slips, and in some cases, it can lead to health concerns like spine injuries, head trauma, hip fractures, broken hands, and other physical injuries. This means that you might not be able to continue your daily duties, including going to work after the accident. And in some cases, it may even cause death.
If you recently encountered a slip and fall accident, and perhaps, you think it’s due to another person’s carelessness or negligence, you can pursue a personal injury lawsuit to seek compensation.
What Is A Personal Injury Lawsuit
Essentially, a personal injury lawsuit pertains to pursuing legal actions after sustaining harm or injuries due to another person’s negligence. And if proven, the at-fault party has to settle your medical charges and compensate you for the injuries you may have sustained, as well as lost time and wages.
However, filing a personal injury lawsuit and navigating the legal process can be complex and technical. As such, it’s highly advisable that you seek professional advice and assistance from the best personal injury law firm in California or whichever city you are in.
Furthermore, here are essential steps you can take, should you encounter and suffer a slip and fall accident.
1. Seek Medical Treatment
It’s essential to seek medical treatment after a slip and fall accident. Regardless of the extent of the injuries you sustained, getting medical attention shouldn’t be skipped. Doing so allows you to receive immediate treatment for your injuries, which can help relieve any pain and discomfort and even help prevent fatal repercussions.
And aside from giving you relief from pain and treating your injuries, medical practitioners can also assess your overall health and well-being after the incident. They’ll perform necessary tests and examinations to determine possible internal injuries, so they can administer proper treatment and medical procedures to help you heal and recover.
And after getting the necessary medical treatment, you can request medical reports and certificates regarding the injuries you sustained in the slip and fall accident. You can then use these reports to help build and strengthen your case.
2. Contact A Personal Injury Lawyer
Once you’re feeling better, consider contacting a personal injury lawyer to help build your case. In some cases, recovering from your injuries and filing a claim can be done in parallel. Perhaps you’ve only sustained minor injuries, or you have legally appointed a family member through a power of attorney to manage your legal affairs. Whichever the case may be, hiring a personal injury lawyer can be your best option to get compensated for your injuries.
As professionals in the trade, a personal injury lawyer can be the best person to help you build your case and properly guide you on how to pursue your claim. In addition, a personal injury lawsuit entails a lot of paperwork and documents to prove a case. And in most cases, failure to submit these requirements can render your lawsuit null and void.
With that said, considering the previous experiences of a personal injury lawyer, they can properly guide you on this and help you gather the necessary documents and help you prove the elements of negligence.
3. Gather Evidence
When building a personal injury case, having substantial evidence can lead to higher chances of success. Among the evidence you should have with you are the photos of the scene. Take photos of the area where you slipped and fell and elements that may have caused your accident. For instance, a broken tile or perhaps the area has insufficient lighting.
Additionally, it’s also advisable to take photos of the injured parts of your body. Note that as time goes by, your injuries will slowly heal. Therefore, you may not have present injuries to show during the court proceedings and legal discussions. This can affect your case and compensation in general. While a medical certificate and report can aid in this, having photos of the injuries you sustained can help further strengthen your case.
4. Find Witnesses
Finally, you may want to find witnesses after a slip and fall accident. These are people who might be in the area when the accident happened or saw what happened and what may have caused the accident. They can provide additional evidence for your case and help increase your chances of having a successful claim.
That said, try to determine potential witnesses during the incident. Whether or not they saw you slip and fall, their testimony of the quality and conditions of the area where the incident happened can help build your case.
Takeaway
If you’ve recently encountered and suffered a slip and fall accident, know that you can file a lawsuit for compensation under personal injury law. However, you must have enough evidence that the accident was indeed due to another person’s mistake and negligence.
Following the steps explained in this article can be a good start after a slip and fall accident. But furthermore, it’s essential to seek the assistance of a personal injury lawyer as they can give you professional advice on how to best approach your case, which allows you to get the compensation you deserve.
