When adults fall their first emotion is embarrassment followed by an immediate effort to get up and walk away. Those reactions can turn a winning and valuable injury claim into a lost cause. Instead, follow the instructions below so as to preserve your health and injury claim:
- Remain on the ground and call for help. The trauma of the fall and the adrenaline flowing at the time may cause you not to realize that you may have suffered a potentially serious injury. Attempting to get up may cause that injury to become much worse.
- Look around for the reason for your fall. Most fall cases are lost because the injured person has no idea what caused them to fall. Instead, once you regain your composure, look around to see if you slipped on some liquid, tripped on an improperly secured carpet, tripped on a raised sidewalk or some other reason. The injured person has the burden of showing how the fall occurred so you must make those observations immediately. In fact, if you have the ability to photograph the condition, do so.
- When store personnel arrives point out the area where you fell and what caused you to fall. Ask that you be provided with EMS transport to a hospital to determine the degree of your injury, remain still until professional help arrives.
- Ask that a written report be made and a copy provided to you. Also, ask if any video cameras record the area of the fall, and ask that the video be preserved. In fact, write that request on any report that is prepared.
- If you believe that your injury requires legal action, contact an attorney right away.
The Law office of Clarence Barry-Austin has extensive and successful experience in handling such cases and would be glad to discuss the matter with you. Please visit my website, www.barryaustinlaw.com, for more information.
Practicing Personal Injury Law For Over 38 Years, Experience Matters.
No information provided in this post is intended to provide legal advise or create an attorney client relationship. Such a relationship is only created by meeting with a representative of the law office and signing a retainer agreement.
