The severity of an injury suffered in a fall can be extensive, including fractures, head injuries, spinal cord trauma, back injuries, and neck injuries. Recovering from a serious fall can take many months and leave a person with lifelong health issues and exorbitant medical bills. If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident that was caused by the business’s negligence, the last thing on your mind is probably obtaining a police report, but requesting that the police be called in to issue a report is in the best interest of your case.
Thousands of people are seriously injured in slip and fall accidents every year when they trip on torn carpeting, jagged concrete, or slip on a recently-polished floor, or a wet or slippery surface. To determine if the property owner is liable for the accident, one of the following must apply:
- The property owner or an employee caused the dangerous condition.
- The property owner or employee was aware of the dangerous condition but ignored it.
- The property owner or an employer should have known because any reasonable person taking care of the property would have discovered the hazard and handled it.
After a slip and fall accident, you may feel a lot of conflicting feelings and emotions, from the physical pain of the injury and the desire to downplay your injuries or embarrassment. However, downplaying or ignoring your injuries may cause you to not fully understand the full extent of your injuries.
Steps to Take After a Fall
If you’ve been injured in a slip and fall accident, consider the scenarios. Even serious injuries can be slow to present with symptoms, which allows them time to develop into something even more serious and more difficult to treat. If something caused you to slip, such as a spill, torn carpeting, jagged concrete, the business – because it failed to remedy the danger – is very likely legally responsible for your damages.
Put your health first and immediately seek medical attention. Even if you don’t think your injuries are server, getting medical attention early can be critical to proving your case later. If you’re able, taking pictures of the accident scene, including what you believe caused the accident, any evidence that exists, a lack of proper lighting, cracks, potholes, obstructions, wet floors, and other details, could help in creating a case.
Police Reports After a Slip and Fall Accident
If you’ve slipped and fallen on a commercial property, you may not think a police report would be warranted but it’s in your best interest to do so. The police will document the particulars of your accident, and the resulting police record will corroborate your official statement about the accident. The officer will take witness statements and record any code violations or obvious tripping hazards that may have played a role in your accident – all of which can go a long way toward bolstering your accident claim.
Contact an Experienced Slip and Fall Attorney
Contact Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law immediately in serious injury cases. We are dedicated to assisting clients throughout New Jersey and New York with their slip and fall cases. We have years of experience and extensive resources to help you turn your setback into a comeback. Get in touch today.