Buffalo Personal Injury Lawyer News10 Things To Do After A Slip-And-Fall Accident
Slip-and-fall accidents can have life-altering repercussions. However, litigating and winning a lawsuit could prove difficult.
Here are 10 tips to improve your chances of success:
- Make a Doctor’s Appointment
You should always see the doctor after a slip-and-fall accident.
Even if you don’t think you’ve been seriously hurt, some common slip-and-fall accident-related injuries don’t present any immediate symptoms—meaning that the only way to obtain an accurate diagnosis is by seeing the doctor, sharing your concerns, and seeking further treatment if and when the need arises.
- Collect and Protect Your Evidence
You might not have had time to collect evidence after being injured, but you should make a concerted effort to protect your documentation.
Relevant evidence in a slip-and-fall claim could include:
- Pictures of the dangerous condition that caused your accident;
- Photographs of your visible injuries; and
- Screenshots of a conversation with a property manager, landlord, or manager.
- Speak to Eyewitnesses
If a friend, family member, or stranger saw your slip-and-fall accident, ask them for their contact information—their testimony could help you obtain compensation for your injuries.
- Submit a Formal Complaint
Contact the property owner where your accident occurred, inform them you were injured on their premises, and ask how to file an official injury report. Provide detailed and concise answers, and do not include any inaccurate or misleading information.
- Document Your Symptoms
You may find that your injuries affect your physical well-being and mental health in ways that are difficult to describe. Even if you can’t put all of your feelings into words, try to keep a journal, taking special care to detail how your injuries have impacted your overall quality of life.
- Preserve Your Records
If you take your slip-and-fall accident claim to court, you’ll need to calculate your existing and anticipated damages. Keep track of all records you have relating to your accident-related losses, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Hospital bills;
- In-home disability modifications;
- Specialist referrals;
- Exhausted PTO and vacation time; and
- Transportation expenses.
- Stay Skeptical of Insurance Adjusters
A negligent property owner may have caused your injuries, but there’s a good chance that any compensation you receive will come from an insurance company. However, before agreeing to pay a claim, insurance companies sometimes do more than their due diligence.
An adjuster could try to attack your rights to a fair recovery by:
- Insisting that you provide a recorded statement, and then use your words against you;
- Asking for access to your medical records, and then blaming an accident-related injury on a pre-existing condition; or
- Refusing to negotiate in good faith, hoping that you’ll give up and go away or accept a much lower offer of settlement.
- Don’t Rush into a Settlement…
Early offers of settlement very often exclude certain damages and are intended to resolve claims as quickly as possible and with minimal loss to the insurance company.
- … But Don’t Wait Too Long to Take Action
New York, like every state, has statutes of limitations applicable to almost all personal injury claims. If you wait too long to contact a slip-and-fall accident lawyer, the statute of limitations could lapse, and you could lose all of your rights to recovery.
- Schedule a Consultation with a Slip-and-Fall Accident Attorney
Don’t take your chances with your physical health and financial well-being: call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. at 1-866-529-5334, or send us a message online to schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.