Santa Maria Slip and Fall Attorneys

Nobody expects to suffer a catastrophic injury when they’re buying groceries, going out for dinner, or shopping at the mall, but a slip and fall can happen anywhere. Victims may suffer hip fractures, head trauma, and other devastating injuries, leading to steep medical costs and lost income. Our slip and fall attorneys in Santa Maria are proud to help the injured pursue the compensation they need to cover healthcare bills and other damages. Beyond the direct costs like hospital fees and lost wages, you may also be dealing with tremendous pain and suffering. If your injury is serious, you might not be able to enjoy the same hobbies and social activities. Our lawyers can help you fight for both economic and non-economic damages, and we won’t settle for anything less than you deserve. Our law firm is available to take your call 24 hours a day. Dial 1-800-GO-HARRIS to speak with a member of our team in a free consultation.

How Can I Speed up the Slip and Fall Claims Process?

If your injury has resulted in steep medical costs and prevented you from returning to work, you may be falling behind on essential bills. Under the pressure of mounting debt, it’s tempting to accept the insurance company’s first settlement offer; however, this could lead to financial turmoil down the road if the settlement isn’t enough to cover your damages. In fact, the insurance company may take advantage of your vulnerable position by underestimating the value of your damages or excluding certain damages entirely, so it’s important that you don’t accept a payout without the approval of your Santa Maria slip and fall lawyer. Fortunately, there may be ways for you to speed up the claims process without harming your case. Specifically, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of a dispute that would delay the proceedings and possibly lead to litigation. Those steps include:

• Taking Your Medical Care Seriously: Whether you required emergency medical care or were able to walk away from the scene, your first stop after a slip and fall should be a hospital or clinic. Getting an official diagnosis immediately after the injury may prevent the insurance company from disputing causation—i.e. that the slip and fall was the actual or proximate cause of your injury. It might also prevent the claims adjuster from saying that your injury isn’t as severe as you’re claiming. Bear in mind that as a personal injury claimant, you have a duty to mitigate your damages. In other words, you have a duty to take reasonable steps to minimize your healthcare costs, lost income, and other damages. If you put off the medical evaluation, the insurer might say that you’ve failed to mitigate your damages and, as a result, you shouldn’t be compensated for 100 percent of your losses. Even if you seek medical care right away, you may face a similar dispute if you ignore your doctor’s instructions by returning to work too early, participating in strenuous activities, missing doctor’s appointments, or failing to fill your prescriptions. At the end of the day, taking your medical care seriously may prevent a dispute that prolongs the claims process considerably.
• Directing Relevant Correspondence to Your Lawyer: How is your medical care progressing? Have your symptoms improved? What were you doing just before the slip and fall? These are just some of the questions the defendant’s insurance company might ask. No matter how confident you are in your ability to handle this correspondence, it’s possible that your statements will be taken out of context to dispute liability or damages. A seasoned slip and fall lawyer in Santa Maria will know how to manage dialogue with the insurer to protect your claim.
• Staying off Social Networking Websites: Your friends and family might not be the only people who see your social media posts. It’s become standard practice for insurance adjusters to evaluate the profiles of personal injury claimants for evidence that can be used to dispute liability or damages. For example, if you publish a photo of you having dinner with friends, that might be enough to bring the severity of your injuries into question. To reduce the likelihood of a dispute, you should stay off social media until the conclusion of your case, and ask friends and family not to post any photos of you for the time being.

Speak with a Santa Maria Slip and Fall Lawyer Today: Call 1-800-GO-HARRIS

Business establishments and their insurance providers have the resources to challenge any claim that comes their way. The slip and fall attorneys at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers can level the playing field and make sure you are treated fairly throughout the proceedings. We offer free, no-obligation consultations to prospective clients. To speak with a member of our team, call 1-800-GO-HARRIS or send us a message online.