Steps To Take After a Slip and Fall

Pursuing compensation is an option if you were injured following a slip and fall accident. However, you may jeopardize your chances of winning your lawsuit if you make mistakes in the aftermath of the incident.

You must know exactly what to do if you ever find yourself in that type of situation. At the Law Offices of Mark S. Glazer, we can offer some guidance.

Go through the steps below to understand what you must do in that specific scenario. We can also serve as your premises liability lawyer in Thousand Oaks if you intend to take legal action.

Step 1: Gather Evidence at the Spot Where You Fell

If you are not badly hurt following your fall, your priority should be to gather evidence at the scene of your accident. Grab your phone and start taking pictures of the spot where you fell to prove that it was a perilous area.

Once you’re done taking pictures, you can speak to anyone nearby who saw you fell. Their statements can prove very useful when you take your lawsuit to court. Ask for the contact details of the witnesses so you and your PI lawyer can talk to them later if you need more information.

Step 2: Report Your Accident to the Establishment

After collecting evidence, your next move should be to report your accident to the establishment. Talk to the establishment’s owner or whoever’s managing it at the time and file an official report.

Make sure you ask for a copy of that report to prove that you were proactive in reporting your accident. Your PI attorney can help if the establishment is delaying the release of your accident report.

Step 3: Limit Your Conversation with the Establishment

Comparative negligence plays a role in determining the damages awarded in California premises liability cases. If you are the plaintiff in a slip and fall case, your compensation may be reduced based on the percentage of blame assigned to you.

Avoid having your compensation reduced unnecessarily by refusing to accept any blame for what happened. If the establishment owner insists that you must accept some of the blame, you can stop talking to them. Instruct them to speak with your premise liability attorney CA if they have something to say.

Also, you should avoid talking about your injuries at this point. Do not downplay or exaggerate your injuries while speaking to the establishment owner. If possible, don’t comment on your injuries at all.

Step 4: Consult with a Doctor

You should head to a doctor as soon as you finish filing your accident report. Go to the doctor even if you don’t feel any worse for wear after your fall.

Depending on how you fell, you may have some injuries that are not evident yet, but you may feel them later. That could be the case if you have some kind of head injury. Consult with a doctor so they can tell you about any injuries you sustained from the accident.

Step 5: Preserve the Clothes You Were Wearing During the Accident

Now that you’re at home, you need to take off your clothes and store them carefully. Do not wash or do anything to your clothes that could alter their current state.

Any traces of dirt, blood, or foreign matter on your clothing can be used as evidence in your lawsuit by your PI lawyer. You want to preserve as much of that evidence as you can, so be careful while storing your clothes.

Step 6: Hire a Premises Liability Lawyer in Thousand Oaks

Thus far, you’ve done a good of protecting your interests in the wake of your slip and fall accident. Moving forward, you can now hire a premises liability lawyer and have them handle the case.

Your lawyer can gather additional evidence, acquire accident reports, and negotiate with the establishment owner if they want to settle your case. If negotiations break down and the case goes to court, you can stay confident, knowing that you have a dependable lawyer on your side.

We at the Law Offices of Mark S. Glazer are ready to offer our services if you want to file a lawsuit against a negligent establishment owner. Contact us today so we can start working on your case ASAP.