It doesn’t matter who you are or how careful you are, injuries can happen to us all. However, some of these injuries should not have happened. Occasionally a fall or slip in public may be down to some form of negligence. It is important that you are aware that this may be the case because what you do immediately afterward may impact your ability to claim compensation. Here are a few pieces of advice:
Tell the Right People
If you fall or slip at an event or in a shop, restaurant, etc., then you need to tell either the owner or whoever is in charge at that moment. Things that may entitle you to compensation include wet floors with no wet floor warning signs, an icy or snowy sidewalk that has not been salted, scraped, or shoveled, uneven stairs, a broken hand railing, stairwells with broken lighting, dog bites, no security fences around swimming pool, etc. If you are unsure if your injury has happened as a result of negligence, then you can contact a personal injury lawyer who can advise you and get you the compensation that you are owed.
Get Medical Help
Depending on the severity of your injury, you may need an ambulance immediately. You need to know how bad your injuries are. Even if you do not feel anything too much at first, you still may have sustained injuries. If you do not call an ambulance, then it may be necessary to contact a doctor as soon as you start feeling pain. Be as thorough as you can be in the medical report. This is important in regard to your compensation claim.
Get Evidence
If you are able to, get the phone numbers of any witnesses to your accident. You never know, in this day and age, someone may have caught your accident on their phone video camera. Look about to see if there are any CCTV cameras pointing in the right direction too. Try and take some notes and photos too. If you are knocked out and miss all this, the lawyer you hire will be able to go back to the scene and check for the camera and recover the evidence for you.
Make a Complaint
It is important that you send a complaint to the organization that caused your accident. If you cannot do this, then file a complaint with the town or city hall. That is because they have to know that something is going on. If your injury is pretty severe, then you may need to file a police report which can really help your case. If this happens then, the authorities will help you with your compensation claim.
Get a Lawyer
Obviously, the best way to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve is to hire a professional lawyer.
Look After Yourself
When you injure yourself, it could be a long road to recovery. So, ensure that you go to all your hospital appointments and do all the exercises they give you. And eat well.