What to do After a Slip and Fall Injury

Its that time of year again. Hazardous winter conditions such as black ice, snow covered sidewalks and frozen patches of ice on the parking lot can cause serious injury to an unsuspecting victim. This begs the question, what should you do if you are injured as a result of a slip and fall caused by someone else negligence?

The first thing you should do if you slip and fall on a dangerous condition of the property is to seek necessary urgent medical care. Your health should be priority number one. If you require emergency medical care, call an ambulance or have someone drive you to the nearest emergency room.

Next, you should call a Philadelphia slip and fall lawyer to discuss your legal rights, and what you can do to assist with proving your claim. In addition, you should take the following steps to help preserve evidence of your claim:

1. Take Photographs of the Scene – Take photographs of the hazardous condition which caused you to fall and of the accident scene. Make sure the slip and fall hazard at issue is clear and visible in the photographs. This should include markers which identify where you fell, such as buildings in the background or other objects to help identify the location.
2. Get Contact Information from Witnesses – Take down the name, telephone number and address of persons who witnessed the fall. In addition, take down the contact information for people who came to the scene to offer assistance after your injury. Even if they didn’t see the accident, good samaritans can cooperate your story as to the date, time and place of the slip and fall accident.
3. Take Photographs of your Injury – If you have visible injuries such as lacerations, a swollen ankle or bruises, take pictures of the injury.
4. Report your Injury – In some instances, like if you fall in a store or concert venue, you should report your slip and fall injury to the property owner, manager or employees. The property manager and/or store personnel will likely create an incident report to document your accident. Be aware that the incident reports are used by businesses as a risk management tool. Employees and security guards are trained to document admissions of negligence or other factors, such as intoxication, which they can use against you at trial.Therefore, it is important not to admit fault or downplay your injury when reporting an incident.

If you were injured at work, or while going to or from work, you should notify your employer of the accident and your claim immediately. Your work injury may be covered by workers compensation coverage. Timely notification to your employer of a work injury is often a prerequisite to bringing a workers compensation claim.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be used as legal advice.

 Thanks to authors at The Wieand Law Firm LLC for their insight into Personal Injury Law.