Victim of Slip and Fall? – What should you do?
In a slip and fall case, the most crucial aspect is what happens immediately after the fall.
To present the case there needs to be a defect that caused you to slip, trip, or fall.
Slip and Fall on Ice: Where Accidents Occur and How to Respond
Almost no one expects a winter accident, but businesses understand and even plan for the danger. Most companies in the Northern United States set aside special funds with the sole purpose of handling the damages from winter accidents. One international company lays aside $1 billion every year for its US division to handle personal injury cases resulting from snow and ice; Kats Jamison and Associates has helped our clients recover substantial damages. Our recent settlement was $750,000 for a woman that slipped and fell on ice and there are many others like it. These incidents happen all the time, and the damages can be severe.
Harsh and unexpected weather conditions can make it difficult to keep properties safe during winter months. The owner has a responsibility to clear snow and ice, and yet these can arise as suddenly as a hailstorm, or an unexpected cold front. Even the most organized business cannot anticipate and clear slippery conditions in order to keep the property 100% safe, at all times.
Pennsylvania law also places some responsibility for caution on the part of visitors, workers, and pedestrian traffic. We urge everyone to take appropriate precautionary measures.
Areas where Most Slip and Fall on Ice Incidents Occur Ice and snow can quickly build-up in areas around businesses before personnel can appropriately respond with snow ploughs, salt, and shovels. As a slip and fall lawyer in Philadelphia, we see injuries most frequently in the following areas: 1. Parking lots 2. Garages 3. Outside the business (unclassified areas) 4. Stairs, ramps, and docks 5. Sidewalks 6. Entryways, such as lobbies and vestibules Despite knowing where slippery conditions are likeliest, the pedestrians in Philadelphia and adjacent counties like Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware County can still fall, simply because the conditions are difficult to see, avoid, or account for. If an incident does occur, then we recommend you take the appropriate actions to ensure a successful case. This protects you from the substantial financial repercussions that a severe personal injury can have on your life.
Kats Jamison and Associates recommends you take the following steps and precautions in the event of a slip and fall on ice. 1. Do not make any detailed statements regarding the accident. 2. Do not make a recorded statement with the insurance adjustors. 3. Take down the contact information for the property owners and managers. 4. Find witnesses and write down their contact information. 5. Take pictures of the defects/hazards and of your injury. 6. Save all clothing, especially the footwear you wore when the slip and fall occurred. 7. Seek immediate medical attention if you are injured. 8. Call our law firm to connect with a slip and fall attorney in Philadelphia and adjacent counties for a free consultation: (215) 396-9001.
We also recommend you report your case to the immediate supervisor in the area where the accident occurred. Do not go into detail regarding the nature of the accident. Simply state where the accident occurred, take the necessary contact information, and move on. How a Slip and Fall Lawyer in Philadelphia Determines Damages for Your Claim Whether the slip and fall happens in Philadelphia or an adjacent area, the determination is basically the same. Our clients frequently ask us to estimate the value of their claim as early as possible. While it is difficult to give an accurate estimate of damages early in the process, we are able to give a figure after all of the medical bills and reports have been submitted.
My office of experienced personal injury attorneys meets on a weekly basis to analyze the cases that have come into the firm; we discuss and make a joint decision on each case. My office makes itself completely available to our clients; we take calls 24 hours each day, seven days of the week; we visit clients in the home or the hospital. If you need anything – from free consultation with regards to your case, to a slip and fall lawyer in Philadelphia, please do not hesitate to call us. And please, stay safe out there. If you are in the Greater Philadelphia area, please call (215) 396-9001. Kats Jamison & Associates is a personal injury law practice serving Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware County, and other adjacent counties. <>
Act Immediately On Your Slip and Fall Lawsuit
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.
Multilingual Lawyers in Phildelphia
We understand that when you come from a foreign country, even if you learn the english language proficiently, in a certain situations you feel most comfortable speaking in your native language.
Individuals who have a difficulty speaking english may get especially concerned when they speak with an attorney. A certain comfort level exists when you may communicate in their own language and know that you will be understood. Our firm has many multilingual lawyers. I personally speak four languages. When you come to my office you can communicate in russian, ukrainian, polish, armenian, german, french, spanish, uzbek, and italian. We do everything possible to make you comfortable so you could relate your problem first hand. Whether it is a car accident, slip and fall, criminal matter, divorce, or immigration issue, our team of multilingual lawyers will be able to assist you in the language of your choice. There is no issue too big or too small for our firm. We will take our time to give you the legal advice you deserve.
There are no fees for consultation in cases concerning an automobile accident, truck accidents, motorcycle accident, slip and fall, medical malpractice, or any other forms of personal injury.
When scheduling your appointment with our firm or upon your arrival, simply request to speak in the language of your choice. We will have one of our multilingual lawyers or staff members help you immediately in your desired language. Any communications in the law office are kept private and will never be disclosed to anyone else, without your authorization. Some firms may ask you to bring your own interpreter, this not a good idea – if you would like your matter remain private and confidential. The attorney-client privilege applies only in the communication between the attorney, the attorney’s staff and the client or a certified interpreter.
Please see us if you have a need and we will Welcome | Bienvenidos | Добро пожаловать Accueil | Willkommen | Benvenuto | Witamy | Ласкаво просимо you in any language!
Please call us for all of your legal needs: 1-800-529-1917
$1.15 Million Awarded in Slip and Fall Accident
It’s amazing – and more than a little scary – how a seemingly innocuous moment can dramatically alter the course of your life.
If you are involved in a slip and fall accident, you need a slip and fall attorney with a proven track record of getting results in Philadelphia courts – like the $1.15 million we recently won for a client who suffered a slip and fall injury in a Philadelphia hotel. You need an attorney who knows the law inside and out, who has your best interests in mind, and who will fight for justice. If you think that you, like the client in this case, were injured unjustly, call us for a free consultation to find out how we can help you. If English is an issue for you or your family members, don’t worry – we speak multiple languages. If your injury is preventing you from coming to our office, we will come to you. And because we work on a contingency fee – meaning we don’t get paid unless you win – clients who have lost employment and had medical bills pile up due to an accident don’t have to worry. We will fight to win your case!
This particular client was attending a business sales conference held at a major hotel chain’s suburban Philadelphia location. A simple trip to the bathroom became a life-changing event after she slipped and fell on a wet, recently washed floor. She struck the back of her head on the wall and her knee on the floor, leaving her with lasting concussion symptoms, a nasty cut on the knee, and cognitive issues consistent with a traumatic brain injury.
All too often, property owners neglect their duty of preventing hazards on the premises that could reasonably cause harm, and all too often, that neglect results in a person’s life being turned on its head. Victims of such slip and fall accidents have the right to contact an injury lawyer who will fight for proper and fair compensation for the slip and fall that robs them of their livelihood.
Before her slip and fall, our client was a top saleswoman and avid outdoor enthusiast; since her injury, to this day, she suffers from frequent migraines and cognitive impairment. She has a great amount of difficulty with memory, including word recall, and is no longer able to hold down a full-time job. Cognitive assessments after the accident included “abnormal findings” and generally subpar mental performance.
And so our brave plaintiff found herself dealing with constant pain, suffering from anxiety and depression, and having to fight tooth and nail for reasonable recompense as an average citizen going up against a massive international corporation.
She needed a slip and fall lawyer who knows law and most importantly know how to win. The firm of Kats & Associates argued passionately on behalf of this client, as we do for all clients who have been put in bad situations by the negligence of others. Serious injuries require serious injury lawyers who get results – and get results we did.
After one day of mediation before the Honorable Russell M. Nigro, we agreed to waive the $300,000-plus workers’ compensation lien, then settled with the hoteliers on $1.15 million in compensation – just the kind of swift and victorious results clients need from their lawyers and can expect from Kats & Associates.
If you have suffered an injury and someone else is at fault, legal action may be an option for you. Call us today for a free consultation.
1-800-529-1917
