Tripping on uneven paving might not seem like a big deal when you regain your balance and get on with your day. However, trip and fall accidents can cause serious injuries, ranging from bruises and broken bones to traumatic brain injuries. You have the right to sue for all damages resulting from such accidents, and our attorney can help you do just that. However, there are a few things you need to do to ensure your case is as strong as possible and get the compensation you deserve.
Collect Evidence
It is up to you, the injured party, or the claimant, to prove your case to win a lawsuit or get a sizable settlement. To do this, you must collect as much evidence as possible. If you can, start by documenting the area where the injury happened. Doing this is important because the property owner might try to cover up the cause of the trip before you can document it.
The documentation you need in this case is photographs and videos of the area. Do this from as many angles as possible and as close as possible. You should also measure how high the uneven paving is, using something with a known size to provide perspective.
Lastly, try to obtain any security video you can in the area that proves the injury happened as you describe it, when you say it did, and where you say it did. Since collecting surveillance or security video might be difficult, you can contact a personal injury attorney to help you with this.
If you cannot do this because you need to go to an emergency room, ask someone you trust to do it for you at that time or the following day before the evidence you need disappears.
Collect Witness Statements
Witnesses can make your case much stronger. If someone saw your trip, ask them for their name and contact details. It is understandable for many people to be hesitant about providing these details, but you can persuade them by explaining that you only need them to verify what happened.
If you can, ask them if you can record audio or video of them verifying the incident. Remember that memories fade over time, and it is best to capture what the eyewitness saw immediately after.
As with collecting evidence, you can ask someone to do it for you. However, you will not get a chance to do this once the eyewitness has left, so let it go if you did not do it immediately because later will be too late.
Get Medical Assistance
You should see a doctor as soon as possible following a trip and fall accident. The doctor will treat you for any superficial injuries and do various tests to see if you have internal injuries. You should see a doctor even if you do not have any pain following the accident. You might feel fine after an accident due to adrenaline and because some internal injuries present with little pain but massive problems if not treated.
The second reason for seeing a doctor is so that you can start the documentation process. The doctor will verify and treat all your injuries and prescribe additional options like rehabilitation or physical therapy depending on the injury’s severity.
The notes, documents, bills, prescriptions, and other materials from all these processes will be evidence that you use to prove your injuries and the extent of damages. You can also use them with the help of a personal injury lawyer to justify the compensation you are asking for.
Report The Accident
You should report the accident to the relevant authority once you are treated. The authority you report to will depend on the type of property you tripped on. If you tripped at work, reporting the incident to the manager is the best course of action. Once you do this, ensure they generate a report and add the incident to their accident book.
You should contact the manager or business owner if you tripped on a private business property. Tell them about the accident and resulting injuries in detail so they can record everything correctly.
If you do this, do not let them know that you are thinking of filing a lawsuit because that gives them more time to come up with a rebuttal for your claim. Some businesses and their lawyers will go to any length to avoid paying a settlement or lawsuit, and you should not give them a chance to get out of it.
Hire an Attorney
At this point, you should hire an attorney to help you put together your damages and losses. Remember that you can claim physical and emotional injuries and any financial losses incurred due to the accident. For example, the accident might have made it much harder for you to work due to a traumatic brain injury or concussion. The result might be you are unable to return to work and therefore lose your job or can’t secure gainful employment in the future.
You can also sue for:
- An approximation of future medical costs
- Emergency care costs
- Pain and suffering
- Disability or disfigurement
- Lost wages while being treated and recovering, as well as potential lost wages in the future
- Changes in your quality of life
Serious trip and fall accidents can lead to severe injuries that require emergency and ongoing medical care. These injuries can also cause irreversible damage that requires therapy for the foreseeable future, and lead to significant financial losses. This will impact your quality of life and make it more difficult to work or find work. You can sue for all these and other damages through our attorneys at the law offices of Payam Y. Poursalimi, APC.
You can visit our offices to discuss your case at the following locations:
- Beverly Hills – 8383 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 830, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
- Los Angeles – 212 East Pico Blvd, Suite #4, Los Angeles, CA 90015
- Tulare – 100 E. Cross, Suite #122, Tulare, CA 93274
- Hanford – 13400 Hanford Armona Rd, Suite #B
You can also call us now for a free consultation at (877) 729-2652 or (323) 782-9927.
