Slip and fall cases require special and immediate attention from a slip and fall attorney. At our law firm, Philly Lawyers, we encourage our clients to act quickly if they have sustained a personal injury and would like to file a slip and fall lawsuit in Philadelphia or the surrounding counties (Bucks County, Montgomery County and Delaware County). There are number of reasons for acting quickly and doing so may help you win your case. If you are in the Greater Philadelphia area and have been injured in a slip and fall accident, call us (215) 396 – 9001. The consultation is FREE and there is NO COST to you UNLESS WE WIN your slip and fall lawsuit. If you are not able to come to our office in Bucks County, we will come to you.
You need to act quickly, because there is always a possibility that the defect that caused you to fall is fixed and you won’t be able to preserve the evidence. The slip and fall attorney will immediately send a letter to the landlord of the location where the slip and fall occurred to make sure, if there are any video cameras in that location, that the film will not be destroyed. This is the first step and it is an especially important one, because one of the excuses that the insurance companies use, in an effort to minimize the amount of the settlement, is to say that it is your fault. The insurance company may claim negligence on your behalf, stating that you were running, not watching where you were going or that there was no defect. In my 26-year experience of practicing law and defending my clients in slip and fall lawsuits in Philadelphia, I can tell you that the best evidence in such personal injury cases is photographs or videos.
Another important element to help prove your claim is the witness statement. Our law firm has an investigator on staff that will immediately go out and interview the witnesses. Usually people are more inclined to give a statement when it is requested within a short period of time from the occurrence. People also tend to be able to recall the slip and fall incident in greater detail when asked about it shortly after. The quicker our investigator can secure the witness’s identity, the sooner your slip and fall attorney can have a better picture of the case.
It is also very important to make sure that your doctor is aware of the origins of your injury. Very often the patient will complain about the pain and suffering but will neglect to explain to the doctor that it happened as a result of a fall. Your slip and fall attorney should contact your doctor immediately and make sure that the mechanism of the trauma is properly explained and that your doctor is able to document that the injury sustained is a result of the fall.
If you have been injured, due to negligence in proper maintenance, repair or upkeep of a business or homeowner’s property, you may have the right to file a slip and fall lawsuit for damages incurred as a result of the personal injury you sustained. These injuries may include medical expenses, lost wages, as well as your pain and suffering. If you have any medical bills as a result of your injury, your slip and fall attorney should make sure that the insurance company agrees to pay all of them. If there is a pending request for reimbursement from the insurance company, it should also be address before the case settles.
We have listed the steps that you should take immediately following a slip and fall accident:
1. Do not make any detailed statements regarding fault.
2. Get the contact information of the property owners and managers.
3. Find witnesses and write down their contact information.
4. Take clear pictures of the defects/hazards and of your injury.
5. Make sure to save your clothing and footwear.
6. Seek immediate medical attention if you are injured.
7. Do not make a recorded statement with the insurance adjusters.
8. Call your local slip and fall attorney.
If you are in the Greater Philadelphia area, you may contact Philly Lawyers at (215) 396 – 9001. Our law firm specializes in personal injury cases regarding slip and fall in Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Delaware County.
