What steps should you take to strengthen a slip-and-fall injuries claim?
In most slip-and-fall injury cases, victims are reluctant to litigate or even file for claims because they are easily convinced that they are to be blamed for the accident somewhere. In a slip-and-fall injury, liability can be challenging to prove. Still, before you conclude, you must have your case evaluated by a lawyer. He is the best person to give an opinion regarding the merit of your case. It would be best if you involved an attorney right from the beginning to be aware of all aspects of your case and can guide you throughout your case. According to Louis Law Group, mall injury claims law firm based in Florida, some of the steps that you should take to strengthen your slip-and-fall injury claims case are as follows:
- Seek medical help
The first thing that you should do is get the necessary medical help. The faster you get medical assistance; you can get all the required documents supporting your slip-and-fall injury claims. Lawyers who provide expert advice in slip-and-fall injury claims often mention that victims do not get the compensation they deserve because they delay their medical consultation. As a result, it becomes difficult to evaluate whether the medical issue you are facing is due to the slip-and-fall injury-related or something entirely unrelated. Hence, you must seek medical help immediately after the injury and get all the necessary documents in order.
- Hire a lawyer to have your case evaluated
If you have suffered a slip-and-fall injury, you must hire a lawyer at the onset to have your case thoroughly evaluated. Do not make the mistake of hiring a lawyer after filing the claims. The primary reason for this is you will find that your lawyer should vet compensation that you seek before you file for the claims. As a layperson, you might be under the impression that the insurance company is liable to pay for the medical expenses alone. However, when you consult a lawyer, he will tell you that the insurance company should compensate for the medical costs, post-operative care, and other expenses like physical therapy that you might have to undergo to recover completely from the injury.
Along with that, the company will also have to pay for any medical devices. Medical devices mean if you have purchased anything like crutches or wheelchairs then the insurance company will have to cover the expense incurred. All of these are considered medical expenses. If your slip-and-fall injury is severe enough, then you can even seek coverage of loss of income that you will face due to the accident. Your lawyer will help you evaluate the liabilities for the accident and help you understand the economic and non-economic expenses that you have suffered due to the accident. In addition, slip-and-fall injury can result in mental trauma, and the insurance company is liable to cover these as well. Hence, when you file the claims, it must reflect all of these compensations.
- Document the condition of the accident
When you suffer from a slip-and-fall injury, you must take photographs and document the exact situation of the accident. The objective of this documentation is to strengthen your case and provide your lawyer with proof that the company cannot blame you in any manner for this accident. However, if the accident is severe, you can have your family member or the person accompanying you take pictures of the situation. Say, for instance, you tripped and fell in the parking lot of a mall. Then a picture of the location of where you fell can prove to be helpful. If the place has a pothole or is in bad condition and the mall owner has been negligent about repairing it, your lawyer can establish liability quickly. Moreover, pictures can be definitive proof that you can present in court if you decide to litigate. Thus, taking pictures can help strengthen your case and even help you win the maximum compensation.
- Talk to witnesses
You must take down the number of witnesses of the accident. You can give it to your lawyer so that he can talk to them to get a firsthand report of the accident. This is necessary for him to establish liability and help you get the maximum claims. Sometimes witness reports can help you obtain the correct information regarding the exact situation that led to the accident. Your lawyer can compare CCTV footage and the witness report to gain a better understanding of the accident. Witness report is often considered crucial by lawyers while deciding the amount of the claims and whether you should bring the case to court.
- Avoid speaking to the insurance company representatives.
Do not speak to the representatives of the insurance company in the absence of your lawyer. The lawyers and the representatives of the insurance company will appear to be sympathetic. They will try to convince you that they are on your side. Still, in reality, the insurance company representatives and lawyers will always look to the best interests of the insurance company they represent. Your lawyer is the only person who will uphold your rights. Hence, you mustn’t give any statement or speak to them in the absence of your lawyer.
As per https://www.lawyerroll.com/what-lawyer-should-you-hire-for-personal-injuries/, your lawyer will help you evaluate your slip-and-fall injury case and understand the compensation that you can get. He will even guide you regarding whether you should litigate or accept the insurance company’s offer. The issue that arises with slip-and-fall injury cases is to evaluate the liability. If your lawyer can establish the case’s liability, you can easily claim the maximum compensation. But for that, you need to have a strong case. Unfortunately, as a victim, you will not be in a position to understand the liabilities and the strength of your case.