What Should You Do if You’re Involved in a Slip, Trip, or Fall Accident?
You’re walking along in the produce aisle of a grocery store, and suddenly, you slip and fall in a puddle of water. Ouch.
Your first impulse may be to feel embarrassed — don’t. Such injuries can be serious — one of the most common reasons people go to the emergency room. According to the National Floor Safety Institute, falls account for more than 8 million trips to hospital emergency rooms per year — the leading cause of visits. Over 1 million of those visits, more than 12%, are for slip, trip, and fall injuries.
More than 16,000 U.S. deaths annually are attributed to falls. In addition, experts estimate that more than 300,000 serious injuries and millions of minor injuries each year are the result of a slip, trip, and fall incidents.
According to the law, people have the right to expect that the conditions of most government property, public places, offices, stores, companies, and private homes will ad
here to basic safety standards. No matter how careful you are, you could walk into a situation in which unsafe conditions make a slip, trip, and fall injury unavoidable.
If you’re injured in a slip, trip, and fall incident, follow these guidelines to protect yourself and your legal rights:
Get medical assistance if needed. If you’ve ever been hurt in a fall, you know that it
can sometimes take weeks to realize the full extent of your injuries. That’s why it’s
important to seek medical attention immediately. Get a thorough examination in the hours just after you fall so that doctors can assess your injuries, some of which may not be apparent at first.
Document the situation and make an official report. Although your priority is medical care, it’s also important to try to preserve evidence at the scene of your fall. Take photos of the scene if possible and ask any available witnesses if they would be willing to provide their account of what happened. If you’re in a public place, ask a manager to help you file an accident report. Most companies keep forms on hand in case anyone is injured on the premises. The report will help you document your side of the story and initiate an official paper trail that may be helpful later.
Protect your legal rights. If you’ve been hurt in a slip, trip, and fall incident, the business at which you were injured may be held accountable for your medical expenses and compensation for lost wages and personal suffering. An experienced personal injury attorney can determine whether you have a valid liability claim and help you understand your legal rights. Get in touch with Kelly & West as soon as you can.
Talk to a lawyer to answer your questions about a slip, trip, or fall accident.
