A slip-and-fall injury can happen out of nowhere. All it takes is an unmopped floor, some poor lighting, or an uneven sidewalk and you find yourself with a serious injury. Worse yet, depending on where it happens, the process to get compensation for your injuries can become complicated. To help, we’re going to break down what to do after your slip and fall injury to make sure you stay safe and you maximize your potential for compensation.
Steps to Take After Your Slip and Fall
Here we’ll break down the steps you should take after your injury and try to include any details or extra information you may need to make things go smoothly.
Report the Accident to the Proper Parties
The first thing to do is always report the accident to whoever is in charge. This will differ based on where the accident happened. For instance, if you were out shopping at the grocery store, you would report the accident to the store manager or whoever is in charge at the time of the accident.
However, if the accident happens while you are at work, then you would report it directly to your employer or direct superior. This also changes the process you would go through for compensation.
If you are injured on the job, you are required to file a worker’s compensation claim unless the injury was caused by a third party that was present at your workplace. In those cases, you may be able to seek personal injury damages from that third party.
Seek Medical Attention
After you’ve reported the accident, the next thing to immediately do is make sure you get to a doctor and get your injuries checked out. Even if you don’t think you are hurt badly, you could have unseen injuries that only a doctor will be able to detect. Not all injuries will appear right away either, so it’s important to open a dialogue with your doctor about your slip and fall and what you may expect in the future.
You’ll also want to seek medical attention so that any and all injuries and interactions with the doctor are documented. This will help your case later on. Be sure to always follow your doctor’s advice to prevent your injuries from getting worse and from potentially damaging your case.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
There are several steps to build a case for compensation after your accident, but rather than start with those, we suggest contacting and retaining a Dallas personal injury attorney right away. They will have the knowledge and experience you need to make your case go smoothly and will be able to help you with the filing process so that you don’t miss any deadlines. Gathering evidence can also be a chore so your personal injury attorney will be there to help with that as well.
File Your Case and Gather Evidence
Once you’ve reported the accident, had your injuries tended to, and contacted a lawyer, now it’s time to start working towards building your case for compensation.
This includes gathering evidence and filing all the necessary paperwork. You may not realize it, but the time limit to file your case starts the moment your accident happens. This means you need to begin the process immediately to avoid missing important deadlines.
As far as evidence, taking pictures of the scene, talking to witnesses, acquiring security footage, and getting medical records are all excellent things to do to build your case. Your lawyer may also be able to help you see if there is a history of complaints against the place where you were injured, which can help show a pattern of negligence.
Keep Quiet About Your Case
The last thing to do, or not do, in this case, is to make sure you don’t talk, tweet, or post about your case in any way while it is still ongoing. The insurance company and its investigators will be actively working to deny your claim. They may also try to settle with you for an amount that is much lower than what your case is worth. Let your attorney handle them while you focus on your recovery.
Let Mathias Raphael PLLC Accident & Injury Lawyers Help Build Your Case
After your accident, you shouldn’t have to worry about building a case on your own. Mathias Raphael PLLC Accident & Injury Lawyers are here to help with your case and give you the direction and insight you need to make sure your case gets maximum results. Call today to schedule a consultation or contact us here.