Falling down in public can be embarrassing. To make matters worse, you could be seriously injured during the accident. The immediate moments following a fall may be scary and confusing, especially if you don’t remember exactly what happened or you don’t have anyone with you to support you or get you help. The Philadelphia slip and fall lawyers at The Reiff Law Firm discuss what you should do if you were injured in a slip and fall accident in a store.
First Steps After You Slip or Fall and Injure Yourself
Falling down can lead to serious injuries, and the workers and managers of a store should be responsive to these kinds of accidents. Whether or not the store’s staff responds to your accident, you should always call emergency medical services if you were seriously injured. They can respond and get you the help you need after an accident, getting you on the track to a full recovery. Especially if you hit your head, you may need to be examined by a doctor to ensure that you did not suffer more serious damage or suffer from a brain bleed.
After calling for medical help, you should do what you can to gather information about the accident and the scene that led to your fall. For instance, if you can take pictures of the spill or obstacle that caused your injury, you should do so. If you have other people with you, you should ask them to get pictures of the scene.
If you can, get the names and contact info of anyone who witnessed the accident. Get this information for anyone who saw the accident and is willing to provide a statement, including store staff. Store workers may also try to get this information, since the store’s policy may require them to write an accident report after an accident from dangerous premises. Ask for a copy of this report if you can.
The last piece of evidence you can collect from the scene is security camera footage of the accident. If there are cameras that captured your fall, ask the store to preserve a copy of that footage. You should do this quickly after the accident or have your attorney request they hold the footage. Otherwise, the footage may be erased as part of the standard routine.
Suing for a Slip and Fall in a Philadelphia Store
The immediate aftermath of an accident is the best time to start building your case, but there are many steps that take place after the accident before you can get compensation for damages like medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Talk to an attorney about the process for filing a lawsuit after a slip and fall accident.
When filing a lawsuit for an injury, your claim is based on the errors or problems in the store that contributed to your injuries. The store may have had numerous dangers that contributed to your accident, including any of the following defects:
- Spills
- Slippery floors
- Icy sidewalks or other pathways
- Fallen debris
- Dangerous staircases
- Poor lighting
Any of these issues could lead a court to conclude that the store was negligent if they did not attempt to clear or repair the injury or if they failed to warn you about the dangers. This negligence is the foundation of a personal injury lawsuit.
You must also prove the damages that you faced to get compensation for them. These damages can be proved by a combination of testimony and documentation that shows the harms you faced. The bills you faced from hospital visits or doctor’s appointments may make up a large part of your damages. Additionally, if you had to miss work because the injuries were too severe, you may be able to use bank statements and pay stubs to prove the wages you missed.
Damages for pain and suffering are also available in most injury lawsuits. Proving these damages is complex since there are usually no records or other pieces of paperwork that reflect the damages. Instead, your testimony about how the injury affected you and your life is the core evidence used to prove your pain and suffering damages. These damages are often some of the highest damages you can claim in a personal injury case, so filing for pain and suffering is vital after a slip and fall.
Call Our Philadelphia Slip and Fall Lawyers Today
If you or a loved one was injured in a slip and fall accident in a store in or around the Philadelphia area, contact our law offices today. The Reiff Law Firm’s Philadelphia personal injury lawyers are available for free consultations to help you understand your options for what to do after a slip and fall accident. To schedule a free consultation, call our law offices today at (215) 709-6940.
