Slipping and falling can be a painful, embarrassing experience. If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall, it’s also important to describe the details of your fall to the property owner, manager or employee. If you find yourself filing a claim over your accident, you’ll also need to describe it to the company or homeowner’s insurance company, as well as your slip and fall accident attorney.
At The Time of The Accident
Of course, you should take care of your injuries and seek medical attention. Before you leave, if you are able, take pictures of the accident scene and your injuries. Get contact information from any available witnesses, and help if you need it.
Most retail stores have surveillance video, and you need to ask for a copy. If you don’t, there is a good chance the video will be erased. Coupled with pictures you take, video is very strong evidence to support your claim.
If you are presented with a paper to sign, don’t. It may very well be a waiver, and you could sign away all of your rights to compensation.
Filing Reports
Chances are, at the time of the accident, you may be asked required to file an accident/incident report. Depending on the circumstances, you may also be required to file a police report. These reports are important for the company’s insurance purposes, for possible OSHA violations, as well as for your own personal injury case.
Generally, an accident report should contain all the essential information about what happened, including:
- The time, date and place of the accident
- Name of the department or section you were in when it happened (if applicable, such as a retail store)
- Names and contact information of any available witnesses
- Names and contact information of employees around at the time
- Environmental conditions—slick floors, etc.
- Circumstances or materials involved—tools, equipment, machinery, etc.
- Specific details about any sustained injuries
If you are asked to complete an accident report, it’s important to stick to the facts of the accident. A personal injury attorney can also assist you in writing one.
You should also write your own accident report for your own files, which would include all of the details above, as well as anything else that is relevant to the case. A slip and fall attorney will need this same information, so having it readily available will make his or her job much easier.
Insurance Companies And Attorneys
The business’s insurance carrier and/or attorney may contact you for a statement, and possibly to settle your case. While this sounds expedient, it may not be in your best interest to negotiate with them. Anything you say will likely be recorded and will be utilized to deny your claim. It’s also a chance for the other party to repair the damages that caused your slip and fall accident and eliminate any remaining evidence.
Talking to a personal injury attorney with slip and fall experience will help you avoid the pitfalls of potentially losing your case before it gets started, and having any settlements reduced or eliminated.
Slip & Fall? Call Us
The Love Law Firm in Charleston, West Virginia’s personal injury law firm with extensive experience handling slips & falls and premises liability cases. Call us today at 304-344-5683 or contact us online and schedule your free consultation. There’s no fee until we win your case, and our contingency fee arrangement means you won’t pay unless we win your case.
