A slip and fall accident can be a scary event. It causes injury, pain, embarrassment, medical bills, lost wages, frustration, or anger. But what do you do after it’s all over?
We have compiled 10 things to do following a slip and fall in New York City so that you are prepared for any situation.
1. Check Yourself
You need to check yourself after every fall or slip to ensure no severe injuries. If you have any doubt as to whether the injury is severe, or if it does not go away within a short period, then you should seek medical attention immediately.
2. Call 911
When calling the emergency line, keep the details concise but complete.
Explain that you were injured in a slip and fall accident, where this occurred (i.e., location of incident), how it happened (i.e., brief description), what type of injuries are happening now (i.e., intense pain with bruising), and any other information that was discussed with the 911 operator.
3. Secure The Scene
Suppose anyone saw or heard your slip and fall accident. In that case, you need to ensure that they stay at the scene until the proper authorities arrive. This will help you avoid any miscommunication about why and how your injury occurred, as well as provide a way for witnesses to corroborate your story if the other party tries to claim that it was your fault or no one else saw what happened.
Once you feel like there is no more information that can be gleaned from this person (and no additional risk of them leaving), ensure that their contact information is taken down to be included in the police report.
4. Seek Medical Attention
Immediately get yourself to a doctor, whether it is the emergency room or your family doctor. You can wait and file an injury claim. Still, you need to seek medical care immediately so that your accident and injuries are documented and treated.
This will help provide evidence as to the nature, severity, and prognosis of the injuries caused by someone else’s negligence and allow you to discuss potential long-term issues that could arise from the incident, such as chronic pain or arthritis years down the road.
5. Take Photos of the Area of Your Slip and Fall Accident
You will want to take photos before leaving the area where this accident occurred. This photo documentation can be used in evidence in court by your personal injury lawyer if the case goes to trial.
If not, they are still valuable for filling out your New York City Personal Injury Lawyer Case Evaluation Form after you speak with them on the phone about what happened.
These pictures are necessary because you often do not know where all the evidence is when you are in shock or pain after a slip and fall accident.
6. Gather Witness Affidavits on Your New York City Slip and Fall Accident Claim
Witnesses will be critical to your case, both for court if it goes that far or even just on paper for your personal injury lawyer. You want to get as many witnesses who saw what happened as possible.
This includes their contact information, home address (if at work), business name, whether they spoke with police or medical personnel about what they saw, the time of day the incident took place, etc.…
These affidavits can help prove liability later on down the road during injury claim settlement negotiations.
7. Contact A New York Personal Injury Lawyer and File an Injury Claim Immediately
If you have not already called a personal injury lawyer, now is the time to do so. If you want to call us at 212-888-2686.
Make sure to mention how you were injured in your slip and fall accident as well as what witnesses you may have such as those who helped pick up groceries or anything else that was knocked down with your groceries after the incident.
8. Do not Apologize to The Business Owner, Building Manager, etc.… That You Fell On Their Property If It Is a New York City Commercial Location
Many people feel obligated to contact a New York City business and tell them that they had an accident at their location. This is especially true if they have been injured from slipping and falling on the stairs of a subway station or some other place in public.
They feel that by immediately apologizing to someone, they will get off on the wrong foot with this person. Still, more importantly, many just do not want to deal with insurance companies until they know what type of injuries occurred from their fall. You can call us at 212-888-2686, and we can actually help you with this if you want.
9. Do Not Try and Deal with Your New York City Personal Injury Lawyer Claims On Your Own
Even though it is very easy to file an injury claim online, you should not try and do anything yourself at all when it comes to filing a slip and fall accident injury claim in New York City without help from a personal injury lawyer.
You need to remember that insurance companies are taking part in many different scams, such as paying for work done by people who overcharge them. They may even pay the wrong party for damages associated with injuries they will later deny occurred; what we call phantom damages (meaning damages never happened).
If this happens, it could be difficult for you to prove that the proper party received payment. For this reason, you should speak with a personal injury lawyer about your case immediately by calling us at 212-888-2686, so they can file an injury claim or lawsuit on your behalf in New York City if needed.
10. Document Details About Your Injuries
Keep detailed notes on how long your recovery is taking after a slip and fall accident, any medications or alternative therapies that you are using to treat the injury, how each treatment is affecting your daily life (i.e., pain levels), and whether or not there have been any changes in your medical condition over time.
This information will be used by your attorney when negotiating a civil settlement for your injuries which can also help establish a timeline of when you should expect to return to work if applicable.
Takeaway
If you have injuries in a slip and fall accident, call our office to discuss your legal options. Our team is available 24/7 for free consultations, so don’t hesitate to reach out! We can help with all aspects of the complicated process, including medical bills, lost wages, property damage, worker’s compensation benefits, and more. Let us know how we can best serve you by calling at 212-888-2686.
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