Did you know you can get money if you slip and fall in a store?
When people get injured in a store, it’s often because an employee left a puddle somewhere and didn’t put a warning sign up. If this happens and you get injured, it’s the store’s fault because they didn’t warn you that something hazardous was out in the open.
Personal injuries can cost a lot of money, so you have every right to hire a lawyer and seek compensation. But where do you start?
Read on to learn about the steps to go through immediately after getting a slip and fall injury.
Seek Medical Attention
When you slip and fall in a store, the first thing you must do is seek medical attention. If you’re injured, seeking medical attention will help you establish a timeline so that you can prove that you were injured at the store. A slip and fall injury can also come with several complications if you don’t get treated immediately.
Some common slip and fall injuries include dislocations, broken bones, and heavy bruises. When any of these go untreated, you’ll suffer long-term pain and you may never fully recover. Fortunately, a doctor can quickly identify these problems and provide you with proper treatment.
When visiting the doctor, ensure that you keep any documents they provide you. Telling them that you’ve slipped and fallen in a store will make things easier for them because they’ll know exactly how to treat your condition.
Report the Incident
The next thing you must do is report the incident to both the store and the police. Reporting to the store is crucial because you need them to document what happened. If the store doesn’t document what happened, you can use this in your argument when taking the case to court.
Reporting the incident to the police will further help you establish a timeline of everything. They’ll also look into the situation and assist you until you can get a slip and fall attorney, which is a crucial part of the process.
When filing these reports, include as many details about the incident as you can. Describe what made you fall, what your injuries are, and who was around at the time of the incident.
You should then take pictures of the area that you fell at along with your injuries. While having documents from a doctor can prove that you’ve been treated, having images of the injuries will further convince a judge that you got hurt.
The main thing to focus on is establishing a timeline and showing that you’re concerned about the injuries. If you were to fall, get injured, and forget about the incident for a few months, you’d never get compensation because the store would argue that you didn’t care about what happened.
Contact a Lawyer
After getting medical attention and filing reports of the incident, the last thing you must do is contact a slip and fall lawyer. A lawyer can help you with a variety of things and they’ll play a major role in the lawsuit process. Without one, it’ll be difficult to seek compensation because you won’t have the necessary tools.
Here are the main things a personal injury lawyer will do for you:
Gather More Evidence
The photos that you’ve taken and your doctor’s report will help, but a lawyer will go further and gather more evidence. Some of the things they’ll focus on are surveillance and witnesses.
If you can provide video evidence of the incident, the store will have a hard time coming up with a reason as to how you got a slip and fall injury. Witness testimonies also help, especially if they’re from people you don’t know because the store would be calling several people liars if they said they were innocent.
Represent You
Representation is important when seeking compensation for a personal injury because you need someone that can say the right things for you. Lawyers know exactly what to say to prove that you were wronged.
Many people have a hard time taking cases to court by themselves because they’re unsure of what to do. However, a lawyer can handle everything for you so that the lawsuit process goes smoothly. With one, you’ll greatly increase your odds of winning the case and getting compensation for your injuries.
Provide Legal Advice
If you’re someone that has many questions about the legal process, a slip and fall lawyer can provide you with all the legal advice you need. They’ll also let you know how much compensation they think you can fight for.
Providing that you have sufficient evidence, you should be able to get enough to cover all injury-related expenses. If there are changes, they’ll keep you updated so that you don’t get confused throughout the process.
If You Slip and Fall in a Store, Get Compensation Today
Now that you’ve read this article, you know exactly what to do if you slip and fall in a store. If you’ve suffered a personal injury due to the negligence of a store and wonder if you can get compensated, reach out to a lawyer.
A personal injury lawyer is the best person you can contact because they’ll analyze your case and give you an answer. When you start working with them, you won’t have to worry about doing much. If they work on a contingency basis, you’ll only need to pay them if you win the case.
Check out our other articles to learn more about personal injuries and other topics!