Most, if not all of us, have experienced a few slip and fall incidents in our lives. It is too easy to slip on a wet surface, trip over a toy or loose wire, or anything else. Many times, minor slipping and falling incidents make for funny stories if it was little more than a bump and the situation was hilarious. If anything, they might feel a little embarrassing sometimes.
But what happens if you end up with more than just a bruised ego due to a slip and fall situation? When you suffer an injury in a slip and fall accident on another person’s property, and your injuries are serious, you might have to face lifelong effects due to the incident.
Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may be entitled to pursue compensation for the losses you have incurred. The fact that you slipped and fell on another person’s property is not enough to help you secure monetary compensation for the injuries you have incurred. You do need to prove to the court of law that your injuries were, in fact, caused by the negligence of the property owner. Proving that fact is not easy without the right legal help because you will be required to provide evidence to make a strong claim.
Having experienced Pompano Beach personal injury lawyers working with you on your slip and fall claim can make a world of difference in ensuring the best possible outcome. Of course, most of the evidence you need to gather for your claim should be collected immediately when the incident happens. Knowing what you need to provide in a slip and fall case beforehand can help you ensure that you have the best chance of building a strong case when working with your personal injury lawyer.
This post will tell you how you can prepare to make a strong claim in a slip and fall case if you ever find yourself in such a situation.
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What To Collect When Preparing For Your Slip And Fall Claim
When you enlist the help of a qualified personal injury lawyer to protect your legal rights after a slip and fall accident, you have to work with them to obtain some crucial evidence and documentation to prove that your case has merit.
Some of the proof you may need to collect when preparing for your slip and fall injury case can include, but is not limited to:
Accident Report
Whether the incident happened on a commercial property or someone else’s residence, we highly recommend filing a report for the accident and acquiring a copy of the report for use as evidence in your case.
Depending on the situation, you could report the incident to the property manager, business manager, or the authorities. Accident reports outlining the incident and what happened can strengthen your claim when negotiating your case with insurance providers.
Failing to file a report could be used by the insurance companies involved or the other party’s lawyers to potentially devalue your claim. They could cite the lack of report as proof that the injuries were not severe and discredit your personal injury claim.
Visual Documentation
If you have slipped and fallen, visual documentation of the scene of the accident and your injuries there and then can be crucial to building a strong claim for reparations. Provided that you are physically capable of it, you should take pictures and make videos of your injuries and the accident site.
In case the incident happened at a business or any place that has surveillance cameras, you should look into acquiring the footage that captured what transpired. Suppose that the accident happened at a place of business and the business owner has cameras installed that might have captured the incident.
If you are filing a third-party claim against the establishment, they will be unlikely to share the footage willingly. Situations like these are where an experienced personal injury attorney can come in handy to collect evidence on your behalf.
Medical Records & Bills
When you slip and fall at another person’s property and suffer serious injuries, you should seek immediate medical care. Sometimes, people can try to walk off their injuries under the impression that they were not bad – only to find that something is wrong several days or even weeks later. We strongly advise seeking medical care immediately, regardless of the apparent severity of the injury or lack thereof.
Keep a copy of all the medical bills, reports, expenses from follow-up visits, treatments, therapies, and any medical records related to the injuries you have suffered. This documentation will be crucial for the valuation of your compensation. If you have a strong claim, these documents will come in handy in ensuring that you are fully and adequately compensated for all the losses you have incurred.
You may be reimbursed for the past out-of-pocket expenses and receive compensation for any necessary future expenses, lost wages due to the inability to work after the injury, and more.
Establishing The Merits Of Your Claim
Many slip and fall accident victims do not consider pursuing a claim because they feel unsure about whether their case merits seeking monetary compensation. A qualified personal injury lawyer can assist you in determining the merits of your claim better. Fortunately, most personal injury attorneys only charge their clients if and when they receive a monetary reward as compensation.
Your lawyer will need to help you prove that you have a valid personal injury case to ensure that you can get monetary compensation for the injuries you have suffered. The property owner’s negligence needs to be established in contributing to the accident. You have to also establish that they were aware of the dangerous conditions that caused the accident and they did not take steps to remediate the problem.
Do Not Wait Too Long To File A Claim
Many slip and fall injury victims tend to take their time in filing a claim because of various reasons. Whether it is because of being incapacitated or due to being unsure about the merits of the case, waiting too long to file a claim can result in you losing the opportunity to become financially whole again.
Florida’s Statute of Limitations states that injury victims should file their claim within four years of the accident that caused the injury. The timeline could be even sooner, depending on the specifics surrounding your case. Hiring experienced personal injury lawyers immediately after a slip and fall accident can help you ensure that you do not miss any deadlines.
Between their help navigating the complexities of Florida’s personal injury laws, negotiating with insurance providers and other lawyers on your behalf, and helping you collect the necessary evidence for a strong case, experienced attorneys can make you financially whole again.
Consider contacting an Injury Lawyer to enlist the help of their experienced team of Pompano Beach personal injury lawyers. With a track record of working with clients to get satisfactory outcomes from their slip and fall cases, the attorneys at this firm could be your best bet to get the compensation you deserve.
