Mistakes To Avoid After A Slip And Fall Accident

Nobody leaves the house expecting to slip and fall and injure themselves. However, the reality is that slip and fall accidents are quite common. Statistics show that slips and falls account for more than one million emergency room visits. You can sustain a slip and fall injury anywhere. For example, you can suffer a slip and fall injury at the parking lot, grocery store, or mall.

Fortunately, if you suffer a slip and fall injury in Florida because of the negligence of another person, a business, or a public entity, you may be eligible to file a personal injury claim and recover compensation. Nevertheless, to ensure you recover the compensation you deserve after a slip and fall accident, you must take the right action. One mistake could ruin your chances of recovering the compensation you deserve.

Unfortunately, many people make the wrong choices after a slip and fall accident. We don’t want you to be one of the people who makes a mistake that prevents them from recovering the compensation they deserve in their slip and fall accident claim. In an attempt to prevent you from jeopardizing your Florida slip and fall accident case, we decided to share some common mistakes people make after a slip and fall accident.

Mistake #1: Failing To Report the Slip and Fall Accident to Someone in Charge

Often, when people slip and fall, they get embarrassed. Because of the embarrassment, many people get up after slipping and falling and leave immediately without reporting their accident to someone in charge. After slipping and falling anywhere, ensure you report your accident to someone in charge. Ensure you fill out an accident report and ask for a copy of the report. You can use the report you file immediately after a slip and fall accident as legal evidence in your slip and fall accident claim.

Mistake #2: Failing To Collect Evidence

To succeed in a slip and fall accident claim, you need proof. Thus, one of the worst mistakes you can make after a slip and fall accident is failing to gather evidence at the accident scene. If you have a phone on you, take pictures of the accident scene. For example, take photos of the hazard that led to your accident. Also, if anyone saw your accident, ensure you ask them for their contact information and names. Witness statements can prove quite beneficial in your slip and fall accident case.

Mistake #3: Failing To Seek Immediate Medical Attention

If you don’t call paramedics to the accident scene, ensure you go to the hospital as soon as you leave the accident scene. Don’t wait to see a doctor. Seeking prompt medical attention is crucial to your health. It also ensures that your injury is properly documented. Having your injury documented by a medical professional as soon as possible is vital as the documentation can help prove a link between your injury and slip and fall accident. If you wait to see a doctor, the at-fault party’s insurance company might claim that another incident caused your injury.

Mistake #4: Skipping Doctor’s Appointments or Disobeying Doctor’s Orders

If you skip doctor’s appointments or disobey doctor’s orders, the at-fault party’s insurance company might claim that your injury is not as severe as you claim. If you fail to keep doctor’s appointments or obey doctor’s orders, the at-fault party’s insurance company may use that to lower your claim amount.

Mistake #5: Failing to File Your Claim Within the Statute of Limitations

According to Florida Law, after suffering an injury in a slip and fall accident in Florida because of another party’s negligence, you have four years to file a claim against the negligent party. This deadline applies to almost all personal injury cases brought in Florida’s civil courts. If you file your slip and fall accident claim after the statute of limitations on your case has expired, you will likely be barred from recovering compensation.

Mistake #6: Providing the Insurance Company With a Recorded Statement

It might seem innocent, but you must avoid giving the at-fault party’s insurance company a recorded statement. Insurance companies are known to use claimants’ words against them. If you provide a recorded statement, the insurance company might use your words against you to help limit their liability and lower your claim amount.

Mistake #7: Failing To Hire a Slip and Fall Attorney

It is best that you avoid handling your slip and fall accident without the help of an attorney. Apart from understanding the things that can jeopardize your case, a slip and fall attorney has the legal expertise required to ensure every aspect of your case is handled correctly.

Contact a Naples Slip & Fall Attorney

To get help with a Florida slip and fall accident case, contact our Naples slip & fall attorneys at The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro at 239-329-7829.

Source:

nfsi.org/nfsi-research/quick-facts/