A slip and fall accident can result in very serious injuries. If your fall was the result of a property owner’s negligence, you might get compensation for your medical bills plus other damages. However, even if you have grounds to file a claim, the steps that you take right after your fall will affect the chances of your claim’s success.

Here are the steps that you should take after falling to preserve evidence:

Seek Medical Treatment

After suffering any kind of accident, your first responsibility should be going to the hospital. Qualified doctors and professionals should assess your injuries and provide the right treatment options. You should not delay treatment even if you think your injuries are not serious because the person you are suing might use this against you.

Since some injuries cause symptoms that occur much later, you should err on the side of caution and go to the hospital. Otherwise, the other party’s lawyer will claim that you delayed seeking treatment because your injuries were not that serious.

Take Pictures

As soon as you leave the scene of the accident, everything will be cleaned up and repaired, which might get rid of important evidence. According to the owner of The Doan Law Firm, you need to take as many pictures as possible before you leave the scene of the accident. They will come in handy when you need evidence in court. Moreover, the photos could be the deciding factor in your claim’s success.

Talk to Witnesses

In most cases, witnesses have a better view of accidents than the actual victims do. As soon as your injury occurs, you should look around for witnesses which might include passersby and customers. This might be quite embarrassing, but you should find the courage to do it.

Ask the witnesses what they saw and write down their accounts of what happened. If possible, you should record the conversation on your Smartphone with their permission. Make sure that you jot down the contact information of every witness you speak to – this will make it easier to reach him or her if you have more questions in future.

File an Accident Report

If your accident happened at a place of business, you should ask the manager to file an incident report and give a copy to you. If you need to get medical attention first before you receive a copy, make sure that you get the manager’s contact info before you leave.

File an Insurance Claim

If you got hurt at a place of business, you should get compensation through business liability insurance. However, if you fell at a private residence, you should get compensation from the homeowner’s insurance. Whatever the case, you need to file an insurance claim as soon as possible because some companies have deadlines for filing claims and if you miss your window, you might miss out on the compensation.

Ask the property owner to hand over their insurance information, so that you can call and explain what happened. You should avoid giving your opinion on what happened because you might end up admitting some degree of fault.

Contact a Lawyer

The attorney you hire will help you determine whether you have valid grounds to file a claim. If you do, the attorney will manage all parts of your case, including:

–          Building a case to support your claim

–          Talking to the insurance firm

–          Investigating the incident

–          Filing a lawsuit when necessary

–          Collecting essential evidence

Your attorney’s job is to focus on getting the best compensation possible while the other party is busy denying you compensation.