Five Things To Do Shortly After Your Slip and Fall Injury
1. Document your injuries with pictures video. As it's well known, pictures say a thousand words. If you have a visible bruising, bleeding, or cutting as a result of your slip and fall or trip and fall injury, take pictures of that injury as soon as possible and take pictures of that injury every 1-2 weeks thereafter to document recovery and any scarring.
2. Do get x-rays if warranted. If there is suspicion of broken bone or dislocated joint in your ankle, knee or shoulder, make sure that you get x-rays of the injured area done as soon as possible. If you fell in your head, CT scan might also be warranted. You must receive medical attention for your head injury as soon as possible to make sure there is no internal bleeding which could lead to very serious and often fatal consequences. The longer you wait, the easier it will be for the opposing side to blame the condition on any subsequent event in your life.
3. Get in touch with witnesses as soon as possible. In many, if not most, slip and fall cases liability is disputed and the defense will try to blame the incident on the victim in any way possible. Having witnesses who saw the fall and can support your side of the events is often critical to sending a strong message to the defense that your side of the story of how you fell and how you got injured cannot be seriously disputed.
4. Preserve relevant evidence. Keep the shoes you were wearing and don't wear them after the incident. Later, you can show them to your attorney and to the opposing counsel to demonstrate that there was nothing wrong with your shoes and they can't blame your fall on your slipper soles. If your dress or pants were torn as a result of the fall, keep those as well, especially if they have blood stains on them, and of course do not clean them. Take pictures of any holes and fresh bloodstain as soon as possible, as blood tends to lose color and disintegrate with time. Determine whether there was a video surveillance camera at the scene, and inform your attorney of where potential cameras that could have capture your fall are located. Nothing is more telling than the video footage of your fall.
5. Weigh yourself right after the fall. Many people gain significant wait after a serious slip and fall injury because they are not able to move and exercise nearly as much as they are used to for months or even longer. Document your weight right after the injury so any weight gain can be claimed later as a component of your pain and suffering and emotional distress damages.
2. Do get x-rays if warranted. If there is suspicion of broken bone or dislocated joint in your ankle, knee or shoulder, make sure that you get x-rays of the injured area done as soon as possible. If you fell in your head, CT scan might also be warranted. You must receive medical attention for your head injury as soon as possible to make sure there is no internal bleeding which could lead to very serious and often fatal consequences. The longer you wait, the easier it will be for the opposing side to blame the condition on any subsequent event in your life.
3. Get in touch with witnesses as soon as possible. In many, if not most, slip and fall cases liability is disputed and the defense will try to blame the incident on the victim in any way possible. Having witnesses who saw the fall and can support your side of the events is often critical to sending a strong message to the defense that your side of the story of how you fell and how you got injured cannot be seriously disputed.
4. Preserve relevant evidence. Keep the shoes you were wearing and don't wear them after the incident. Later, you can show them to your attorney and to the opposing counsel to demonstrate that there was nothing wrong with your shoes and they can't blame your fall on your slipper soles. If your dress or pants were torn as a result of the fall, keep those as well, especially if they have blood stains on them, and of course do not clean them. Take pictures of any holes and fresh bloodstain as soon as possible, as blood tends to lose color and disintegrate with time. Determine whether there was a video surveillance camera at the scene, and inform your attorney of where potential cameras that could have capture your fall are located. Nothing is more telling than the video footage of your fall.
5. Weigh yourself right after the fall. Many people gain significant wait after a serious slip and fall injury because they are not able to move and exercise nearly as much as they are used to for months or even longer. Document your weight right after the injury so any weight gain can be claimed later as a component of your pain and suffering and emotional distress damages.