What to do When You Slip and Fall

A leaky roof, an uneven step, or an unlit room is all it takes for you to have a slip and fall accident and obtain a painful injury. An accident like this occurs quickly and can be covered up or forgotten swiftly and easily. Sometimes you may not want to report the incident due to embarrassment. Other times the property owner may try to downplay your injuries in an effort to reduce possible claims. In any slip and fall incident however, you should report it so you are compensated for your injuries. There are several steps to complete in order to successfully report a slip and fall accident. Be sure to complete each one so you get your compensation.

Complete each step after a slip and fall accident

Report it Immediately

In a slip and fall accident, timing is everything. The quicker you report an incident the better the chance police have in finding evidence that the injury was the property owner’s fault and was caused by his or her negligence. If you wait too long on reporting the incident and taking legal action, you give the property owner time to destroy evidence with convenient excuses. If you report the incident immediately and take legal action, the owner will be put on notice that they need to secure and protect the evidence from destruction.

Get Witnesses

Obtaining witnesses who can vouch for your incident is important in proving you are a victim of the property owner’s negligence. When you slip and fall, talk to the people who were present during the incident. Ask them for permission to call upon them as a witness to the accident in the future. Also, ask for their contact information in case the police have any questions. Getting people outside of the immediately affected parties who can explain the incident will help provide solid evidence of who is to blame for the incident.

1_01-SlipAndFall_Surveillence-ContentCheck Surveillance

You will need to ask to see the surveillance video and have the police obtain them for you as soon as possible. Seeing and getting the surveillance video quickly will prevent the property owner from destroying the evidence with excuses such as accidentally taping over the incident or losing the video. Once the police are notified of the existence of the video, it is illegal for the property owner to destroy the evidence.

Preserve Evidence

Preserving the evidence will be a key factor in your case. While you may technically have a year to report your injury after a slip and fall accident, a lot can change in a year. If you fell on an uneven step and don’t report it for a year, the step may well be already fixed by then. If your only evidence was the physical step then you should photograph the area before changes are made. Reporting the incident as soon as possible is important so your lawyer can demand that the evidence be preserved.

A slip and fall accident can happen anywhere at anytime to anyone. If you do not report the incident then you cannot be compensated for your injuries and you may be allowing it to happen again to someone else. Addressing each of these steps after an accident will help build a solid foundation for your case and get you one step closer to being compensated for your injuries. If you or someone you know has experienced a slip and fall accident, contact Gegenheimer so he can help you address each factor listed above and get you your compensation.


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