You have just tripped, or slipped, on someone’s property. What do you do?
1. You need to report the incident to a manager if it is a store or business. If you feel outside of a business, report it to the nearest business to create a record. If there are no businesses nearby and you are injured, it is worthwhile to call 911 and have the paramedics come look at you. This will generate a record of approximately when and where you fell.
2. Take photos of the scene immediately after the fall. This documentation can be invaluable in proving your case to a claim’s adjuster, or jury. These photos will give insight into what caused
you to fall. Photos and video taken by businesses can disappear, become lost, or are even intentionally destroyed or edited. Taking your own photos will ensure that this doesn’t matter.
3. Take down the names, addresses and phone numbers of anyone who saw the fall or came to help you afterward. You cannot assume that the business will speak with them or get their information. This is especially true when the statements given tend to hurt the business.
4. Much like a car accident, it is important that you seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Remember, that while you may not immediately feel pain—the adrenaline in your body might be hiding pain that you will feel later. Unlike car accidents, fall accidents often result in broken bones it is important to get checked at an Urgent Care. Doctors at an urgent care typically have experience in emergency medicine and if they see signs of a serious injury, they will send you to the emergency room.
5. It is important you save the clothing you were wearing when the accident happened. If there was some kind of liquid substance on the ground that caused you to have fallen, it may have gotten onto your clothes and this may help prove your case.
6. Call a lawyer you can trust. At Piedra | Injury Law, we have dedicated our professional lives to helping people through these troubling times. We are always available to help you through your slip and fall or trip and fall injury.
