The law has long held that property owners have a legal responsibility to guests, visitors, and customers to ensure that their property remains reasonably safe. Failure to warn visitors of an unsafe condition, or the failure to correct or clean a dangerous area can result in the property owner having legal liability to compensate a victim for their injuries and losses related to a slip and fall accident on their property.
If you suffered injuries resulting from a property owner’s negligence, learn how a La Verne slip and fall lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 223-5115 can help you better understand your legal rights and ensure they remain protected.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident
In many cases, a victim of a slip and fall injury may feel slightly embarrassed and therefore, they quickly stand up and pretend they feel fine to reassure bystanders and then simply leave the area. The following are some steps to take after your slip and fall accident if you have not done so already.
Obtain a Medical Evaluation
Several moments, hours, or days later, a victim may realize that their injuries are much worse than originally thought, and as a result, they should seek immediate medical attention. If you failed to receive an immediate medical evaluation following your slip and fall accident, you should do so as soon as possible. Having a medical evaluation from a healthcare professional ensures that you receive proper diagnostic testing and medical treatments, as well as provides a foundation upon which you can show an insurance company or the court that your injuries directly stemmed from the slip and fall accident, and not from a pre-existing condition.
Contact the Business or Private Property Owner
In some cases, the dangerous or unsafe condition has received proper attention between the time of your slip and fall accident and the time you report the incident to the property owner. If it is at all possible, contact the property owner immediately following the accident. However, if you did not, you should contact them as soon as possible. Try to remember everything you can about the slip and fall accident, and if there were any witnesses to the accident, attempt to contact them to obtain their statements regarding the event.
Collect and Keep Evidence
In some cases, property owners and their insurance companies will attempt to blame the victim for their injuries. Keep the shoes you wore at the time of the slip and fall accident, your clothing, your purse, and any other items you may have carried. Keep documentation of all diagnostic tests, medical visits, hospitalizations, surgeries, medical treatments, and prescriptions that resulted from your slip and fall injury. Contact your employer and request all evidence related to your missed wages, vacation, and sick leave used during the time you remained unable to work, missed promotions, missed education or training experiences, missed bonuses, or missed pension or employee benefits compensation.
Property Owner’s Actual vs. Constructive Knowledge
In order to receive compensation for your injuries and losses related to your slip and fall accident, you must prove that the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous or unsafe condition on their property. The way to do this is to prove that the property owner had either actual or constructive knowledge of the hazardous area.
Actual Knowledge
Actual knowledge shows that the property owner had knowledge and understanding that a dangerous condition existed on their property. For example, if the victim saw the property owner walk by an area that contained a dangerous hazard, or records show that the property owner received numerous complaints regarding a hazardous condition on their property, this will prove that they had actual knowledge of the unsafe condition on their property.
Constructive Knowledge
Constructive knowledge indicates that while the property owner may not have directly known of an unsafe condition, given the facts and circumstances, a reasonable person would have understood that the dangerous condition existed with the information provided. For example, if a business owner knows that they have a serious leak in their roof as a result of a violent storm, they should also know that this could lead to water on the floor resulting in a slippery area for visitors and guests.
For a free legal consultation with a Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer serving La Verne, call (800) 223-5115
Types of Slip and Fall Injuries
If you suffered injuries as a result of a slip and fall accident, you are not alone. Nearly one million people need to visit an emergency room each year in the United States as a result of a slip and fall accident as reported by the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI). Thousands more visit urgent care centers or their primary health care providers for their injuries related to their slip and fall accidents. While each person will have a different set of facts and circumstances that led to different types of injuries, the following are some examples of types of slip and fall injuries that may occur:
- Spinal cord injuries (The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine states that spinal cord injuries that are the direct result of a fall have consistently increased over the past forty years.)
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Back, neck, and head injuries (including jaw and skull injuries)
- Soft tissue injuries
- Broken and fractured bones
- Nerve damage
- Paralysis
- Amputations
- Internal organ damage and bleeding
- Death
If you suffered any kind of injury following a slip and fall accident, consider how a La Verne slip and fall lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you receive compensation for your injuries.
La Verne Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer Near Me (800) 223-5115
Consider Visiting with a La Verne Slip and Fall Lawyer
You may feel overwhelmed with your pain and suffering along with your medical bills and inability to return to work, resulting in the loss of income. Consider visiting with a La Verne slip and fall lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 223-5115 to learn more about how you may build a personal injury case in order to receive compensation from a property owner after your slip and fall accident.
Call or text (800) 223-5115 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
