The National Floor Safety Institute reports that nearly 8,000,000 people visit the emergency room each year as a result of slip and fall incidents in the U.S. It is, of course, important to seek the counsel of an experienced attorney specializing in personal injury law when injury results from a slip and fall, but there are also steps you want to take to avoid damaging your own case from the outset.
This blog post discusses 4 key mistakes people make when filing a slip and fall personal injury claim in Illinois:
Not Documenting or Collecting Evidence of the Hazzard
It is important to collect what evidence you can that the hazard that caused your slip and fall injuries actually existed. The fact is the business owner will likely have repaired or cleaned up a spill or conditions that caused your fall in the wake of your personal injury claim. Getting documentation by way of photos and, possibly, witness contact details can help secure evidence that the problem was indeed a problem in the first place. For instance, taking photos of an instore hazard with no evidence of mitigation can be extremely effective in refuting the defense that no real hazard existed in the first place.
Not Following a Physician's Instructions to the Letter
Seeing a physician immediately in the wake of any kind of accident is imperative to proving that serious injury resulted. When plaintiffs delay seeking treatment, insurers (and courts, for that matter) often assume that no real injury exists. And ensuring you get immediate treatment also mitigates further damage down the line by ensuring you are not worsening your medical condition by avoiding immediate medical care.
Leaving the Location without Notifying Management that An Accident Took Place
It is important that management of the establishment be made aware that an accident occurred and that there was an unattended hazard that preempted it. Management must be alerted so that additional injuries may be averted but also so that they may aptly develop a report on the injuries and adequately address charges that support a demand for personal injury damages.
Signing Away Your Rights to and Insurer Before Seeking an Attorney's Counsel
It is in the best interests of the at-fault party's insurer to settle a valid slip and fall claim at the outset before a claimant has an opportunity to explore the scope of damages to which they may be eligible for the incident. Often times, the full breadth of injuries may not develop within the first month following the accident. Likewise, a full understanding of the loss incurred may not be available from the outset. Loss of employability or lost wages, for instance, might not at the outset be clear. Once you sign a release, you lose eligibility to receive any damages that may materialize in the future even if proven to stem from the accident.
If you have any questions about a slip and fall case, call the experienced personal injury attorneys of Panio Law Offices in Chicago to get the representation you need to collect the highest awards to which you are eligible and get on with the business of living your life.
Call us at (708) 928-8680 to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney today. We can help.