What Should You Do After a Slip and Fall Accident on Someone Else’s Property?

Slip and fall accidents are relatively common in Los Angeles, with thousands of fall-related injuries seen in emergency departments annually. If you get hurt in a slip and fall on someone else’s property in California, there are steps you need to take to ensure the protection of your rights and to hold a property owner accountable.

Get Medical Attention

Prompt medical care is extremely important, not only for your physical health and well-being, but also for insurance purposes. Property insurance companies will search for any reason to reject claims and diminish payouts. One common excuse is that a victim delayed medical care and “failed to mitigate his or her damages.”

Go to the nearest hospital or emergency room immediately after a slip and fall accident. Even if you don’t think you are hurt, you may have a hidden or delayed injury, such as a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord damage. A doctor can quickly diagnose any injuries and recommend the appropriate treatments.

Report the Slip and Fall

Report your slip and fall accident to the property owner, your employer, a store manager or another appropriate authority right away. This will create a record of the event, with important details that are recorded while they are still fresh in your mind. Document how the property owner responded to your accident report, as well.

Gather Evidence

While you’re still at the place where your slip and fall accident occurred, do your best to collect evidence. This includes pictures of the property hazard (before the property owner can fix it), tapes from security or surveillance cameras, statements from eyewitnesses who saw the fall, and a copy of your accident report. Keep the clothes and shoes you were wearing at the time of the incident, as well. If your clothes are wet, take pictures before they dry.

It is also important to collect evidence of your injuries and losses in relation to the slip and fall incident. This can include your medical records, hospital bills, pictures of injuries, an injury journal, receipts for travel or purchases, lost wage documentation, and property damage repair estimates.

Don’t Trust Insurance Companies

When you’re ready to seek financial compensation for your slip and fall accident, you will file a claim with the insurance policy of the property owner. This could be a homeowners, renters or commercial insurance policy. When you file a claim, it will be processed by someone known as the insurance claims adjuster.

Don’t trust the claims adjuster, as he or she works for the insurance company, not for you. Politely decline to give the adjuster a recorded statement when asked. Do not accept a quick settlement offer without consulting with an attorney first.

Take Prompt Legal Action 

You have a limited amount of time to file a slip and fall accident claim in California. There is a statute of limitations of two years on most premises liability cases. You must file within at least two years of your accident, or else the courts will bar you from financial recovery. If your claim is against the government, however, you must act within just six months. 

Contact a Premises Liability Lawyer 

You have the right to hire a premises liability lawyer in Los Angeles to represent you during a slip and fall case in Los Angeles. A lawyer can immediately go to work on preserving and collecting key evidence to support your claim, including hiring experts to testify regarding a property owner’s fault. You can trust an attorney to fight for maximum case results using proven strategies while you focus on healing from your slip and fall injuries. For more information about a case, request a free consultation at Rose, Klein & Marias LLP.