Each year, over 8 million hospital emergency room visits result from a flip and fall, and of those, 5 percent of the patients have fractures. About one-third of everyone over 65 will experience a trip or slip and fall each year.
If you are one of those 8 million, you might ask yourself, “Should I see a doctor after a slip and fall in New York?”
The answer to that question, except in very minor incidents, is a resounding “yes,” for multiple reasons. Here are the three most important.
You Might Be Seriously Injured and Not Know It
Several types of injuries can happen and not seem serious moments after they occur. By not getting checked out by a doctor, you are risking further injury, or in some cases, you might even be risking permanent disability or death. You simply do not know if you are hurt worse than you might think, even if you are a doctor.
Additionally, you might be in shock if the fall was sudden or traumatic. Shock can hide many medical issues that only become evident once the shock wears off.
Some injuries that can be much worse than what they seem at first include, but are not limited to:
- Internal injuries, particularly head injuries
- Some broken bones, like a broken wrist or ankle
- Neck and back injuries
- Soft tissue damage
In most cases, your injuries after a slip and fall will be obvious, but you do not know if something is lurking that is serious but will not reveal itself except during a medical checkup.
Associated symptoms of injuries you may not be aware of at first include:
- Headaches
- Ringing in the ears
- Dizziness
- Subtle bruising or muscle spasming
- Nausea
- Stomach pain
- Vertigo or loss of balance
If you have any of these symptoms after a slip and fall, even if it is hours or days afterward, you should get yourself checked out.
Your Right To Sue To Be Made Whole
If your slip and fall is due to negligence, you deserve to have the person that caused the environment you fell in pick up the tab for getting you better and for any lost work you experience if your injuries are serious. If you wait, your ability to succeed in court diminishes unless you prove your injury is directly fall-related.
In most cases, the simple question asked of those who refused medical attention and wanted to sue for damages later was, “how can you prove your fall caused your injury?” If you “walked it off” for a period after the incident, your ability to show negligence led to your injury is diminished.
Conversely, getting checked out immediately establishes a clear line between your fall and your injury. For example, suppose you slipped on a wet floor and sustained a hairline fracture in your wrist when you broke your fall. Going immediately to an emergency room to have it x-rayed and verified as a fracture is much more compelling than having it checked out a day later.
In most cases, particularly with subtle, non-obvious injuries, an insurance company might balk at your claim that their client’s negligence led to your fall and injury. Having a medical report that verifies you got checked out immediately after the fall will go a long way to convincing an insurance company, a judge, or a jury that the fall caused your injury.
Having To Recover On Your Own
Everyone knows medical bills can be hefty, especially if you need longer-term care, such as physical therapy. If the injury is severe enough, you could find that you cannot work and unless you are salaried, not working is another financial hit you must shoulder. If your injury is severe and long-term, the costs of medical bills and lost wages can cripple you financially.
It is bad enough when you go to a doctor, get checked out, hire a competent lawyer, and go through the process of getting a settlement or taking the negligent party to court. Imagine how much more difficult it would be if you could not get financial relief from the negligent party because you did not get appropriate medical care and cannot prove your case.
In most cases, without a trail of doctor visits and timely documentation that your slip and fall caused your injury, an insurance company will not consider a settlement unless there is another mitigating factor that makes negligence undeniable.
That, however, means you are relying on chance, which is never where you want to be when trying to get medical bills and lost wages covered by the negligent party. So, if you were asking, “Should I see a doctor after a slip and fall in New York?” this is another reason to say yes.
Do You Need a Lawyer after a Slip and Fall Accident?
Hiring an experienced NY slip and fall accident lawyer can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. If you experienced severe injuries or were hurt after a fall incident on commercial or public property, you should consult a personal injury attorney about your case. By having legal representation, your lawyer will handle all communications with the insurance company on your behalf and work toward securing a fair settlement for your slip and fall accident. Why risk being unfairly compensated and not having recourse to fix it?
When you hire a New York slip and fall accident lawyer from Brandon J. Broderick, you pay nothing upfront. We work on contingent fees that are only collected if we win your case. If we don’t win, you don’t pay. Don’t wait, contact us today for a free consultation. With our proven track record of success and our commitment to client care, we can turn your setback into a comeback.