Can I Collect Financial Compensation After a Slip and Fall?
Slip and fall accidents can happen almost anywhere, and can be caused by any number of factors, including a wet floor, icy steps or walkways, uneven concrete, spilled food, or loose carpet.
A slip and fall accident is not only unexpected and a potential cause of serious pain or injury, but the experience can also be disorienting, leaving many victims in disarray.
Even a relatively minor slip and fall that doesn’t result in broken bones or head trauma can involve significant and even debilitating medical injuries if you’ve injured your back, twisted a knee, or hurt your hand or wrist, among other possibilities. Some injuries don’t appear immediately, and some people, due to the embarrassment of falling in public, will downplay the injuries they received.
While it can be difficult, it is important to try and remain calm and collected because your actions in the aftermath of a slip and fall accident—both at the scene of the accident and after receiving medical care—can often mean the difference between receiving compensation for your accident or not.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall
If you’ve been involved in a slip and fall accident, it is important that you keep in mind the following points:
– Try to keep talk to a minimum. Refrain from talking about what caused you to fall, and avoid issuing blame, getting angry, or making threatening demands.
– Seek immediate medical attention even if your accident is minor. Professional medical attention can identify injuries that may not be apparent in the short-term but may affect you in the long-term.
– You or someone with you should also inspect the area where you fell in order to identify what caused your slip and fall accident. Take photos of the area with your smartphone as well as what specifically caused the accident. Identify any potential witnesses nearby. Even if they didn’t see the fall as it happened, they may be able to describe the condition of the floor, lighting, or so forth, as well as providing witness to the amount of pain or injury suffered by the victim of the slip and fall.
– Notify someone at the scene. There are different procedures to follow depending on where the slip and fall accident occurred. If it is a business, you should notify a manager; there may be official reports or documentation to fill out. In other cases you may need to notify a property manager. The most important thing is to try and locate someone in charge on the scene, so long as your injuries don’t prevent you from doing so. That way, no one else gets hurt the same way you did.
Seeking Compensation for a Slip and Fall
Slip and fall injuries are some of the most common occurrences, yet many victims suffer serious, life-altering injuries as a result. The fact is, a business or property owner has an obligation to keep their property in a safe condition. If it can be proven that a property owner (or an employee) was negligent and knew or should have known about the dangerous situation that caused a slip and fall accident, then you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
A lawsuit may be the only way you can recover for medical expenses, lost wages, or to compensate you for the pain and suffering following a slip and fall, since insurers will rarely acknowledge liability to a victim without legal representation.
Working with an experienced slip and fall attorney like Greenberg & Stein will be your best bet following an accident, as we will be able to recognize all of the different factors that affect liability and damages, both positively and negatively.
Since every case is unique, having an experienced team at your side can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to slip and fall cases. Greenberg & Stein has established itself as a leader in the area of slip and fall cases in New York City. Attorneys from our firm have received recognition from the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum® and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, an honor no more than 1% of attorneys receive in the duration of their practice.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident in any of the five boroughs in New York City, it’s time to reach out to the skilled Manhattan personal injury lawyers from Greenberg & Stein. Our mission is to help each and every one of our clients by bringing their cases to a successful conclusion. No one should have to pay out of pocket for injuries suffered due to the negligence of others.
Our team is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss the merits of your slip and fall case and the legal avenues available to you. Call Greenberg & Stein today at 888-411-3966 to setup your free legal consultation.