An individual in Florida who has been injured in a slip and fall accident may not know what to do afterward. Taking precautions to avoid a slip and fall is something people try to do when faced with uneven pavement or rickety stairs, but after being involved in a slip and fall, knowing what to do is another question. Your first action following an injury due to a slip and fall should be to call an experienced slip and fall attorney in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach to obtain tips a slip and fall attorney can provide; but in order to protect any potential claim, there are also certain things an injured person should not do.
Don’t Put Off Seeking Medical Care
An individual may be tempted to delay seeking medical treatment after being injured in a slip and fall at a store. This could be due to various reasons, including the desire to continue shopping or simply to wait to see if the pain increases and if so, to seek care only when medical attention cannot be delayed any longer. However, delaying medical treatment can make it appear as though the injury wasn’t as serious as the physician discovered at a later appointment. This can make a case seem weak or as if the injured person is exaggerating his or her pain. When injured in a slip and fall, the most important slip and fall tip is always seek medical treatment right away.
Report Your Injury to the Store Owner or Appropriate Person
Many people don’t realize that many stores have accident reports that an individual can fill out following an injury. When injured in a fall on another property, you should notify the appropriate person right away. If you should have to be transported by ambulance to a hospital, then you can have a family member or friend report the injury as soon as possible. You should also notify a homeowner, landlord or the city or county if the injury occurred there. As in seeking medical care, not reporting an accident with injury can make it appear as though the accident did not happen or result in a lower award of damages. Another slip and fall tip is, if you have filled out an accident report, make sure to get a copy as soon as possible.
Note What Caused the Fall
Some people take a serious spill and are concentrating so much on the injury that they neglect to look closely at what caused it. For example, a spilled substance cannot be a fresh spill but needs to have been there for at least a few minutes. If it is a broken jar where the contents have spilled out, you can note whether there is drying around the edges of the liquid or dirty marks where people have passed by, perhaps with shopping carts. Having a clear idea of what caused the spill and that it had been there for a few minutes can make a difference.
Get Contact Information from Witnesses
People who saw a slip and fall provide credible support for your accident. Not asking those persons for their names, addresses and phone numbers is a mistake. Another mistake a slip and fall victim may make is not asking for contact information from any employee who saw the accident.
Take Notes
An accident resulting in injury can be a traumatic experience, and it can be easy to forget important details, especially when dealing with the pain of injury. Note date, time, what caused the fall and how you fell, which can include the direction you were looking, what shoes you had on, what foot slipped, whether you braced yourself and how you landed on the ground. Also note anything else related to the accident. Even things that seem unimportant might be helpful for your case.
Take Plenty of Photos
Photos of a slip and fall are good evidence and can help your attorney determine fault. Taking lots of pictures from different angles can help. If the injured individual cannot take photos, then having a family member or friend come in and take photos is the next best thing. In addition, take photos of the clothing and shoes you were wearing at the time and put them in a safe place, so you can find them later instead of having to recall what you were wearing.
Contact a Slip and Fall Attorney
A slip and fall accident due to the negligence of another can cause serious injury that results in lost work time and medical expenses, as well as the trauma of the event. Contacting a slip and fall attorney to obtain slip and fall tips is the best way to protect yourself. Kaiser Romanello has attorneys who are prepared to share slip and fall tips and ensure that you will receive the maximum amount of damages. Contact us for a free case evaluation.
