Slip And Fall Injury Resources: What To Know

A slip and fall injury is all too common these days. You may not think of serious injury when you think of a slip and fall accident but a slip, trip, or fall can actually lead to serious, even life-altering injuries. There may not be a way for you to predict a slip and fall before it happens but you can be prepared to take the appropriate action after an accident, especially if you were not at fault.

You may be left wondering what your next steps should be after a slip and fall injury. Should you go see a doctor right away? Is it worth seeing a doctor if your injuries do not seem bad? Who is responsible for your medical bills? Do you need to speak with a personal injury attorney who handles slip and fall accidents? These are important questions to answer if you have suffered a slip and fall injury on another party’s property.

DOCS4PI helps connect injury victims with the professional services and resources they need after a slip and fall accident. Our goal is to get you the medical attention you need for your injuries and the legal representation to protect your rights. Let’s find out why it is so important to see a doctor after a slip and fall and how a personal injury attorney may be of help.

What to Do After a Slip and Fall Injury In Florida

Your immediate actions after suffering a slip and fall injury can be critical to your recovery and your ability to recover compensation. These steps can have a major impact on the validity of an injury claim and the outcome of a slip and fall suit. The following actions are important to follow if you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident.

Seek Medical Treatment Right Away

Seeking immediate medical attention after a slip and fall is important for the following reasons:

• A doctor will run diagnostic tests to check for any injuries including internal injuries or traumatic brain injuries
• You can be kept under observation in the hospital if you have suffered a traumatic brain injury
• Doctors can prescribe medication for injuries or begin treatment if necessary
• Your doctor or the hospital will provide medical documentation that serves as evidence of your injuries for insurance companies
• Doctors can testify in court to the severity of your injuries and to the cost of current and future treatment you will require

Your health should always come first after a slip and fall accident. It is always important to seek medical treatment after an accident, even if you do not feel you have suffered a serious injury. Visiting a doctor quickly ensures your injuries will be attended to right away. Your doctor will also create medical documentation of your injuries.

It is crucial to get medical documentation of any injuries from your fall. Being able to provide proper documentation of your injuries from a licensed doctor can help strengthen your claim if you choose to file an injury lawsuit against the at-fault party.

The amount of time between your accident and your first medical evaluation after the accident can also impact your claim. It is best to seek medical attention within the first two weeks following a slip and fall. If you wait to get medical treatment, insurance companies may argue that you would have gone to the doctor sooner if your injuries were serious or due to the slip and fall. They may be able to deny your claim if you wait too long to see a doctor.

Report the Accident

No matter where your slip and fall accident takes place, be sure to report the incident immediately. The slip and fall should be reported to the manager, owner, or landlord right away, whether it be a residential, commercial, or government property.

Make sure you get a report of the incident in writing before you leave the scene of the accident. A written report can help to strengthen your case for a slip and fall injury claim. Ask to have the owner, manager, or landlord type up a report of the fall and create a copy for you. If you need to report the accident to the police, ask for a copy of the police report as well.

Document Everything

Maintaining detailed records of anything related to a slip and fall injury is important. This documentation can help you build a strong case if you need to file a personal injury lawsuit later.

Witness statements can have a major impact on a slip and fall injury claim. Try to gather contact information and statements from any witnesses to your accident or from any parties involved. Be sure to grab their:

• Names
• Addresses
• Phone numbers
• Email addresses

Picture or video evidence can also play a crucial role in determining who is at fault for a slip and fall and how the accident actually happened. Take pictures of the location where the incident occurred and photograph any details that could have contributed to your fall. It could be uneven stairs, a crack creating a lip in the pavement, or an unmarked wet or icy patch on the ground.

With the modern prevalence of smartphones, security cameras, parking lot cameras, and street cameras, there is a decent chance that your accident may have been captured on video. Video of the fall can provide concrete evidence of how you slipped and injured yourself. A personal injury attorney can help you locate and secure video footage of your accident if it is available.

You should also write down your own account of how you fell and were injured while the incident is still fresh in your memory. The more detailed you can be in your accident statement, the better. Look to include the following details:

• What you were doing before the slip
• How you fell
• The exact location you fell at
• The time and date of the accident

Decline to Speak Without Representation

Keep in mind that insurance companies will try to use anything that you say or admit to after a fall to devalue your claim. It is important that you do not publish posts about your accident online or on social media platforms. Be sure to keep your conversation with a manager, property owner, or landlord to the details of the accident, and do not admit fault to anyone.

Speak With An Attorney

You may choose to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party after a slip and fall injury. Injury victims are allowed to file a personal injury lawsuit without a lawyer to represent them in Florida. However, it is in your best interest to speak with an experienced slip and fall attorney before filing a claim.

Many personal injury attorneys offer free legal consultations. This gives slip and fall victims a chance to have their case evaluated by a legal professional. During this initial consultation, a lawyer will tell you if you have a case they believe they can win for you and what your legal options are going forward. This legal advice can be helpful, even if you choose not to hire an attorney.

Why Hire a Personal Injury Attorney After a Slip and Fall Injury?

Successfully litigating a slip and fall lawsuit is often a complicated process. Having an experienced attorney on your side can bolster your odds of a favorable outcome. Be sure to look for a lawyer that specializes in personal injury law, specifically a lawyer who has experience pursuing slip and fall injury claims.

In order to win a slip and fall suit, you will need to be able to prove that the defendant was at fault for the accident. This can involve providing compelling evidence, complex litigation, and negotiations with insurance companies. You want an attorney that knows how to investigate the incident and get all the pertinent information needed to build a strong case in your favor.

DOCS4PI can help connect you with the best slip and fall accident attorneys in Pinellas County and Broward County. We will get you the expert legal representation you need to recover compensation if you or a loved one has been injured in a fall.

Proving Fault in a Slip and Fall Accident In Florida

One of the hardest tasks in winning a slip and fall lawsuit is proving the at-fault party was truly responsible for the accident. Proving fault for a tripping accident is not always easy. Slip and fall suits depend on showing that the owner of the property on which you fell failed to do everything possible to prevent such an accident.

Showing that the accident was caused by a “dangerous condition” is critical to a slip and fall suit. That alone will not establish fault in your case though. You must also show that the property owner was aware of the danger and had not taken reasonable action to prevent an accident. The condition must be proven to have been an unreasonable risk to any persons on the property and unforeseeable under the circumstances.

It is extremely difficult to win a case if the “dangerous condition” that caused you to trip was obvious and clearly avoidable.

Fault on behalf of the property owner can be established by showing:

• The condition was created by the property owner
• The owner was negligent in addressing the condition after being made aware
• The owner had sufficient time to discover the condition and correct it before your accident took place

Responsible Parties

There must be a negligent party that is responsible for your accident in order to have a slip and fall injury case. But, keep in mind that the type of property on which your fall occurred can play a role in how you prove fault and pursue legal action.

Commercial Property

Commercial properties include stores, restaurants, or other businesses. You can prove that the owner or an employee of the business for commercial property was at fault for a slip and fall by demonstrating the owner/employee:

• Was responsible for making the area where the fall took place dangerous and slippery
• Knew of the treacherous area and did nothing to correct it
• Had reasonable time to detect the dangerous condition and take action to prevent an accident

Litigating a slip and fall suit for an accident can sometimes be complicated because multiple persons or entities can be held liable for the accident.

Residential Property

When a slip and fall injury occurs on a residential property, the victim usually looks to hold the landlord liable for the accident. The injured party is typically a tenant or a third party. To show that the owner of a residential property is responsible for a fall, you must establish:

• The landlord was aware of the condition that led to the fall
• Injury due to the condition was foreseeable and the landlord did not take reasonable actions to prevent an accident
• It would not have been unreasonably expensive or difficult to fix the hazard

Government Property

Pursuing a slip and fall injury claim for an accident that took place on local, state, or federal government-owned property is a bit harder. Special rules often apply to government properties. Broad immunity provisions and notice requirements are used to help shield government entities from liability for personal injuries. You will need a very clear case of negligence to win a personal injury suit against a government entity after a slip and fall.

Need Help Finding A Florida Doctor or Slip And Fall Attorney?

DOCS4PI helps people get the professional services they need after suffering a slip and fall injury.

If you have been injured in a fall, our network of trusted doctors will be able to provide the medical treatment you need. We will connect you with the right doctor to treat your specific injuries. They will be able to help you start your recovery and can provide medical documentation as evidence of your injuries.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another person, we will connect you with an experienced personal injury attorney who is ready to fight for your case. Don’t hesitate after a slip and fall, call us today (888) 362-7474 to get the help you need.