What to do After a Slip & Fall Accident
Ice and snow often cause accidents resulting in slip and fall injuries. Proving liability in slip and fall cases can be difficult. When pursuing a slip and fall injury claim, you have to show that the person in control of the area where you fell is at fault. If you fall over your own untied shoelaces, you may not have a claim because the person in charge of the premises is not in charge of your shoes. Each case is decided on its own facts.
Success in these cases is likely dependent on a proper investigation of the facts. As your injury lawyer, Robinson LLP must understand the law that governs your case and be able to appropriately investigate the facts of your slip and fall accident so that liability can be proved.
If you are hurt from slipping and falling on snow or ice, you should take action quickly.
Here are three important steps to follow if you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident:
1. Take a Photo
Gather evidence! Take a picture of exactly where you fell immediately.
Cell phones allow immediate access to the best possible evidence we can garner. If you can’t take a photo because of your injuries, get friends or family to go back to the scene of the accident as soon as possible and take photos – hopefully before the accident scene changes.
Once the area has been shoveled, salted, or sanded, the picture won’t be particularly helpful. In addition, be sure to keep the footwear you were wearing at the time of the slip and fall accident.
2. Gather Witness Contact Information
After the fall, take a quick scan and see if there were any witnesses. If there is a witness, you should try very hard to get their contact information.
Eyewitness accounts of the condition of the ground can be very helpful to your case.
3. Contact the Slip & Fall Accident Lawyers at Robinson LLP
Liability, gross negligence, duty of care… determining whether you have a good potential case is confusing. You don’t need the extra stress when you’re hurt. Every case is different so be smart about it. BEFORE you speak to an insurance adjuster or give a statement that won’t necessarily help your case, you should at least have the legal facts and a little advice. Robinson LLP offers free consultations. Call or email today to find out about your legal options. The experienced slip and fall injury lawyers at Robinson LLP work on contingency, so no fees are charged until you recover money.
Your lawyer at Robinson LLP will, if need be, hire the appropriate expert to determine issues such as “slip coefficient” and whether adequate snow and ice removal, handrails, and yard slope were present. The earlier in the process you allow us to get started, the better chance we will have of proving your slip and fall claim.
We are proud of the difference we have made in the lives of our many past clients who have been severely injured by slipping and falling on ice and snow. Our personal injury lawyers have well over 100 years of combined experience pursuing personal injury claims, including slip and fall claims. There aren’t many circumstances we haven’t already seen. We know the law and have the experience needed to pursue even very difficult claims.
This article was initially published in January 2014 and updated in November 2017.