What Should Be Your Best Defense Strategy After a Slip and Fall Injury

A slip and fall injury can be nasty, but you can’t blame yourself as you didn’t plan for it or cause it intentionally. While this unexpected and unfortunate incident scares and confuses you, it should not deter you from seeking medical attention and suitable compensation, in that order.

After the fall, your immediate action will decide whether you get a matching compensation for losses due to the injury. Your best defense strategy includes documenting the accident scene to the best of your memory and ability as it will be of great help when you file your lawsuit.

Here’s what you should be doing to make sure you get a fair deal:

Seek Immediate Medical Attention

Seeking medical help is a must for your safety; moreover, it is strong evidence for building your case. Try first to document your injuries as best as you can. If the injury requires the attention of a doctor, visit one immediately. While being treated, make sure you record everything.

The sooner you go to a doctor, the better as it nails the time of the injury accurately. If there is a time gap, you help the defense build a strong case by claiming that you could have been injured elsewhere. When you go to a doctor immediately, the defense is automatically put on the defensive side, making your side stronger.

Also, only a thorough medical examination will reveal the extent of your injuries and the proper course of treatment. While taking care of your safety concerns, the doctor will describe the injuries in detail, which helps make a strong case in your favor.

Inspecting the Scene

Depending on your mobility soon after a slip and fall injury, try to find out what exactly caused you to fall. If it was inside a store, check if you tripped on something that shouldn’t have been there. Were you drawn into a jostling crowd in a narrow entrance? Or was the store overcrowded due to an ongoing special sale? You need to record the time of your fall and check the chain of events around that time.

If you can be definite about the cause of your fall, it is easier to pin the responsibility. It is always good to remember the exact details.

Photographing the Scene

You must have the presence of mind to photograph the scene, as the jury is easily convinced by such visual evidence. Graphic details help resolve a case faster and award compensation to the victim. Take photos of the exact spot and around the scene, as all these photos will help build your case. If you cannot use your hands due to the fall, get a bystander to photograph the scene for you.

Identifying Witnesses

There is nothing as substantial as an eye-witness to authenticate your case. Witnesses help to back up your testimony and verify whatever you say. If you slipped and fell in front of or inside a store, the other customers are your best witnesses.

Don’t forget to collect their contact information, including telephone number and address. Asking them to recount what they saw can also be beneficial, as corroborations from eye-witnesses carry a lot of weight.

Trust an attorney to take it forward from there and follow up with the witnesses you have spoken with already. They know how to get a detailed statement to produce in court, strengthening your compensation claim. This strategy puts the defense at a disadvantage where they cannot deny facts.

Working with your Attorney

The sooner you start working with your attorney, the better. Most people on the other side will try to ease themselves out of the situation by paying little or nothing. Their attorney will tutor them to twist your words and make you sound like a liar.

Working with a reputed law firm helps you handle the negotiations better. Your attorney is the best person to advise you on what to say and what not to say.  With years of experience handling similar cases, they will help wrap up your case quickly.

Summing it Up

What you do soon after a slip and fall is critical to help you get fair compensation. Apart from documenting details accurately and talking to witnesses present at that time, contacting your attorney helps get due compensation quickly.