A personal injury law firm can help you seek financial compensation for your injuries and losses in a slip and fall claim or lawsuit, including medical care, future treatment expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Let’s discuss what a reputable law firm can do for your case, so you obtain fair compensation for your injuries and material losses.
Table of Contents
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help Victims With an Indiana Slip and Fall Case
File a Claim or a Lawsuit
A personal injury lawyer will file a lawsuit in court on your behalf. The suit will include all the relevant information about the incident, including witness statements and photographs of the accident scene. In many cases, it is necessary to hire an expert who will testify about the slippery conditions at the time of the accident. Most slip-and-fall cases settle out of the courtroom, so your attorney will use the evidence and witnesses to build a solid case and negotiate a settlement with the at-fault party’s insurer and attorneys.
Collect Evidence
A personal injury lawyer will collect evidence that supports your claim for damages. This includes gathering witness statements, photos of the scene, medical records showing treatment after the accident, police reports (if it is the case), and other relevant documents.
Navigate the Insurance Claims Process
The liable party’s insurance company will try to deny your claim as soon as possible. They want to pay you as little as possible to keep their profits high. You need an attorney who knows how to navigate through this process so that you don’t get taken advantage of by insurance companies.
Establish Liability
A personal injury lawyer could assist you in establishing liability if someone else caused your accident or injury. This means proving that the person who caused your accident was negligent or acted in a reckless manner that led to your injuries and damages.
Negotiate a Settlement
Negotiating a settlement is the most common way to resolve a personal injury claim. When you hire an attorney, they will work on your behalf to negotiate with the insurance company and agree on how much compensation you should receive for your injuries.
Your personal injury law firm will likely evaluate your case and determine the best course of action based on the facts. For example, if you have suffered severe injuries or lost income, your attorneys may advise that you take the case to court instead of settling out of court.
Causes of Slip & Falls and What You Can Do to Prevent Them
Slip and fall accidents can lead to severe injuries such as broken bones, head trauma, or even death. However, there are ways you can prevent these types of damages from happening in your home or business premises. Here are five causes of slips & falls:
• Obstacles on sidewalks
• Obstacles on stairs
• Poor lighting
• Uneven floors
• Water hazards
Individuals and businesses should be aware of the most common slip and fall accidents to prevent and avoid them. Such lawsuits consume time, money, and effort for all parties involved, so it is important to stay safe and keep everyone safe rather than engage in a legal battle.
Tips for Avoiding a Slip and Fall Injury in Your Store or Place of Business
Ensure Employees Use Proper Footwear
Slips and falls often occur because people aren’t wearing proper footwear while working. To prevent this common cause of injury, make sure your employees are wearing shoes that have non-slip soles when working near water or wet floors, on stairs, or in other areas where they may be prone to slipping or tripping.
Keep Floors Dry for Customers and Visitors
It’s important to keep floors dry, so they don’t become slippery when rain or snow melts outside your building’s doors. Make sure there isn’t standing water on any floor in your building, especially those with a high foot traffic count, such as break rooms or hallways. Always display “Wet Floor” signs to be as visible as possible in the building. In addition, having active security cameras inside the building helps clear things out yourself if someone sues you for their slip and fall injury.
Use Nonslip Flooring Materials
Non-slip floor coverings such as vinyl tiles or linoleum can help prevent falls in high-traffic areas.
Provide Adequate Lighting in Areas With Poor Lighting Conditions
If there is poor lighting in an area and people can’t see clearly, they will be more likely to walk into something or trip over something on the floor. Please ensure that there are no obstructions in hallways or other areas that people walk through frequently so that they don’t trip over them and sustain injuries from falling. Have your offices, building, store, etc. inspected regularly, and make sure no carpets, loose cables or wires, or missing lights open the possibility of you being sued in a slip and fall case.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that victims should always contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible following a slip, trip, and fall accident. By doing so, you could take advantage of the benefits and protections afforded by Indiana’s comparative fault laws. Failure to contact an attorney quickly could cost you later down the road if your injury case has merit and could be worth much more than you might think. On the other hand, business owners should put in the effort to prevent such incidents on their properties.
About Carson Derrow
