To ensure your rights are protected, watch this video about the common slip and fall case mistakes that you need to avoid. Contact our office today.
Question:
What slip and fall case mistakes should I avoid after an injury?
Answer:
Mistakes often happen in the beginning of a slip and fall case. When you first fall, whether at a retailer or a fast food restaurant, you may not realize in the moment that you’re going to be involved in a personal injury case. These are mistakes that you can and should avoid, however, to protect your case. The primary mistake that clients make is not making a report. They slip and fall, they get hurt, they’re embarrassed… and they don’t bother to go speak with anybody in charge. If you’ve fallen within the last 48 hours and you’re looking at our website, go back to that store and make a report.
The second mistake people make is they don’t preserve evidence. A lawyer can help you with that. We can send out a letter and ask for the preservation of surveillance video, for example. Videos can get erased, so you want to make sure that the owner preserves the video.
A third mistake people often make is not taking any photos to document the scene. Capturing photographic evidence of what caused your slip and fall is essential to your case. Three years from now when you’re in front of a jury, you want to have that photo to describe what caused your injury.
The compensation you could receive may be substantial. The insurance company is responsible for reimbursing you for your lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering. It is coming from the insurance company that represents them. The same goes for places like grocery stores. Their insurance is responsible for your damages. You will not be directly suing that property owner.
Georgia is a state that follows comparative fault, which means you can be compensated for your damages even if you share some fault in causing the slip and fall. The way it works is as follows: say someone is at the grocery store looking at their phone while they walk down the aisle. There is a puddle of spilled liquid that has not yet been cleaned, but because they weren’t looking, they slip and get hurt. The grocery store would be responsible for not having cleaned up that spill or marked it with a sign but that person would be partially responsible because they were not paying full attention. In an instance such as this, they may be deemed something like 20 percent at fault for the accident. If they were awarded $10,000 in damages, that fault would mean they can only collect $8,000 of the award. We take our job of protecting your right to full compensation seriously.
Were you or a loved one seriously injured due to a slip and fall in Georgia and have questions about the common slip and fall case mistakes you should avoid after an accident? Contact the experienced Georgia slip and fall lawyers at Princenthal, May & Wilson, LLC, today for a free consultation and case evaluation. Let our experience and dedication work for you.
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