Don’t Make These 3 Mistakes After a Slip and Fall
Let’s say that you fall in a store or on someone else’s property. You are the victim. They did something wrong, to cause you to fall. It can be hard to imagine that you could do anything wrong to harm a case, should you choose to bring one later on to compensate you for your injuries.
But there are things that people do when they fall that can jeopardize their ability to realize a full financial recovery for their injuries.
Bear in mind, everybody knows that when you fall, it is traumatic, and you may be in no condition to sit and analyze what you should or should not do. You should not fault yourself if you make any of these “mistakes.” Always see a good personal injury slip and fall attorney, who can help you with your accident.
- Not Reporting the Accident When and Where it Happens
One mistake people make, is they simply don’t report the fall to the store, or to the property owner or manager. If they are able to, victims get up, and walk out of the store.
The problem later on is that if they are injured, there was never a report made. That means there were no photos taken of where you fell. The names of any witnesses were never recorded. The insurance companies that may be involved, have no record of the fall happening. And everyone for the Defendant will see the fall as “no big deal,” because if it was, they rationalize, you would have reported the fall when it happened.
2. Throwing Away or Washing Clothes
Another mistake that people often make is they fail to realize that the clothes they were wearing are evidence of the fall itself. By throwing away those clothes—or even by washing them—you could be destroying evidence, albeit totally unintentionally.
Your clothes and shoes have dirt, blood, or whatever substance you fell on, on them. The Defendant will want to see and analyze the clothes or shoes you were wearing, as evidence in the case.
Never throw away or even wash the clothes that you were wearing during the fall, at least not until you speak to a personal injury attorney first.
- Taking Quick Money
After the fall, the insurance company for the property where you fell (or the property or business itself) may reach out to you. They may seem apologetic and kind. They may offer to pay some of your medical expenses. They just may seem really helpful.
You may make the mistake of taking whatever they are offering. That’s a mistake, because they are trying to get you to take less than what you would get later on, if you made an actual legal claim for compensation or your injuries.
For example, if you take a quick $5,000 to help you with your emergency room bill, that is your full and final settlement. If you later are out of work for 3 months or need surgery or have recurring back pain, it’s too late—you’ve already taken the $5,000, and that’s all you can legally get; you have settled your case in full for that amount.
Don’t make these (or any other) mistakes after your slip and fall. Contact the Tampa personal injury lawyers at Barbas, Nunez, Sanders, Butler & Hovsepian and schedule a consultation today for help after any kind of accident.
Sources:
safetyculture.com/topics/incident-report/
incidentreport.net/whatisincidentreporting/
