Baldwin Park Slip And Fall Attorneys

Baldwin Park’s restaurants, stores, and other public properties are great places to unwind and experience everything the area has to offer. However, a negligent property owner or reckless employee could turn a fun day out into a living nightmare. Unfortunately, slip and fall accidents are all too common with many leading to serious injuries such as brain trauma, broken bones, and spinal injuries. If you believe you were hurt due to a property owner’s negligence, turn to our Baldwin Park slip and fall attorneys for advice. We are available to take your calls 24/7. Dial 1-800-GO-HARRIS to find out how we could help with your personal injury claim.

What Should I Do after a Slip and Fall Accident?

If you were injured on someone else’s property due to a hazard or other dangerous condition, you should document the cause of the accident and the injuries you suffered. It’s likely that the property owner, tenant, or the party responsible for managing the premises will take steps to repair, clear, or remove the condition that led to your fall before your attorney has an opportunity to investigate the accident scene. Let’s take a look at some of the steps you should take:

Take Photographs: Whether you slipped on wet floors, tripped over a loose wire, or fell due to a broken stair, you should grab your phone to snap pictures of the hazard that caused your injuries. Additionally, you should photograph any elements that might provide further context. For instance, if staff did not put down any signs warning you of wet floors, your pictures could prove that the property owner did not take sufficient steps to prevent the accident.

Call 911: If you were seriously hurt, contacting authorities will ensure that you receive medical care without delay. Additionally, police officers may arrive at the scene to investigate what happened. Officers will usually create an official report on the incident which may include information about your injuries, names of eyewitnesses, and their own observations on the cause of the accident. This official report could help your attorney identify crucial evidence that might help prove your claim.

Visit the Doctor: If you were able to walk away from the accident, you may think you’ve survived unscathed. However, many serious conditions—such as brain trauma—can present with minor or latent symptoms. As such, you should never delay a diagnosis after a slip and fall. Failing to seek medical treatment could lead to your condition worsening, setting you back on the road to recovery. Additionally, the claims adjuster might insist that your injuries can’t be that serious as you did not require immediate medical attention, or that you were negligent because you didn’t take reasonable steps to mitigate damages.

Stick to Your Treatment Plan: Whether it’s sitting at home while your friends and family are out enjoying their lives or taking time off work to let your injuries heal, life after suffering an injury can feel agonizing in more ways than one. While it’s tempting to shelve your doctor’s instructions and join in, doing so could compromise your claim. As a claimant, you have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to mitigate your damages. If you take any actions that aggravate your injuries—such as going out for a run even after your doctor ordered you to abstain from strenuous physical activity—the insurer might assert that you failed in this duty. This could result in reductions to your financial award or the denial of your claim.

Will My Slip and Fall Claim Go to Trial?

While most slip and fall cases are settled out of court, there are a few scenarios where it may be in your best interests to take legal action. For example, if the insurance adjuster is disputing liability or refuses to agree to a fair settlement, your lawyer might advise you to file a lawsuit. Let’s take a look at a few more factors that could influence how your claim unfolds:

The Strength of Your Evidence: Success in a slip and fall claim—like most personal injury cases—will often hinge on the strength of the evidence you’ve collected. As such, if you’ve overlooked critical information at the scene or failed to track your damages accurately, you will most likely face disputes from the insurer and other opposing parties. If your attorney believes you may be able to overcome these disputes in court, he or she may suggest taking legal action against the liable parties.

The Expected Date of Maximum Medical Improvement: After suffering a serious injury in a slip and fall, it could take weeks—if not months—for your injuries to heal. In some scenarios, you might be expected to live with health complications for the rest of your life. Maximum medical improvement (MMI) is the point in your recovery at which you have made a full recovery, or your condition is unlikely to improve with further treatment. Accepting an offer from the insurer before you have achieved MMI could leave you with a settlement that doesn’t cover unanticipated healthcare interventions down the line. While the insurer may be in a rush to settle, your attorney will likely advise you to wait until you’ve achieved MMI before proceeding with your claim.

The Number of Liable Parties: It’s not uncommon for multiple parties to share liability for an accident. For instance, the property owner, the tenant, and the company responsible for managing and maintaining the premises might all share some degree of fault for your injuries. Based on the circumstances of your case, you could also share some of the blame. For instance, if you took actions after the fall that caused your condition to deteriorate, the insurer might insist that you are on the hook for the additional damages. Typically, the more liable parties named in your claim, the higher the chances that an individual or entity may dispute how liability is apportioned. If these disputes cannot be resolved during settlement talks or litigation, you may have to go to court.

Speak to a Slip and Fall Attorney in Baldwin Park

Whether it’s during the day, after office hours, or on weekends, we are ready to take your calls at any time. Reach us at 1-800-GO-HARRIS or complete our contact form HERE to secure a free consultation.

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