What to do After a Slip and Fall Accident
It is important for those who have been involved in slip and fall accidents to take certain steps, including obtaining medical care, filing an accident report, gathering evidence, and if necessary, retaining an experienced premises liability attorney. For help assessing your own options after an injury or to learn more about what to do after a slip and fall accident, please contact one of our Colorado Springs premises liability lawyers today.
Obtain Medical Care
The most important thing that a slip and fall accident victim who is injured can do immediately after a fall is to obtain medical care. While this is especially critical for those who have sustained serious injuries, such as broken bones, head trauma, and lacerations, it is still a good idea for injured parties who don’t require emergency care, to visit a doctor as soon as possible. Some injuries, especially those sustained in accidents, don’t reveal themselves immediately after a fall. Seeking medical attention early can make all the difference when it comes to diagnosing an injury, obtaining treatment, and creating a medical record that links a specific accident with the injury in question.
File an Incident Report
Once their safety has been ensured, slip and fall accident victims should be sure to file an accident report with the owner or manager of the property, which could include everyone from a store manager to a landlord. This is a particularly important step for those who are injured while on public property, in a store, amusement park, or another location that sees numerous visitors. Injured parties should also be sure to submit the report in writing and collect copies of the forms.
Reporting an accident can play a crucial role in helping injured parties determine whether their injuries were the result of a property owner’s negligence. For instance, reports of other accidents in the same place could provide proof of a property owner’s negligent maintenance of the premises or a failure to repair dangerous hazards.
Gather Evidence
Gathering evidence from the scene of an accident is also critical to the outcome of a premises liability case. For slip and fall accident victims, this could include:
- Taking photos of the area where the fall occurred;
- Taking photographs of the dangerous conditions on the property where the accident occurred;
- Recording details about the accident, including the time of the fall, lighting conditions at the scene of the accident, and the specific location of the accident;
- Obtaining any video footage of the accident;
- Collecting reports of similar accidents in the same location on prior occasions; and
- Retaining all injury-related medical records.
This evidence can help defeat a property owner’s claim that an injury was not foreseeable or that he or she is otherwise not liable for a plaintiff’s injury.
Contact an Experienced Colorado Slip and Fall Accident Attorney
If you were injured after slipping and falling on someone else’s property, please contact the Colorado Springs slip and fall accident lawyers at McCormick & Murphy P.C. to learn more about your legal options. A member of our team can be reached at 719-301-2596 or via an online message.