Waltham, MA Slip & Fall Lawyer
Slip and fall accidents can be damaging for victims, leading to expensive and intangible damages. These damages can come from the party responsible for the accident, likely the negligent property owner.
Hand, wrist, and ankle fractures are common injuries from slipping and falling accidents. Head, back, and neck injuries also occur frequently, requiring costly medical treatment and preventing victims from returning to work. Filing your lawsuit on time is paramount to your recovery, so our lawyers can prepare your case to file within three years, but preferably sooner. As we prepare your lawsuit for settlement negotiations or a trial, we will track all damages, starting with hospital expenses. While we make copies of medical bills and obtain hospital records, we will also estimate your lost wages from the accident. The non-economic damages you incur are also compensable, and we can help you quantify these intangible losses as well.
The Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s slip and fall lawyers can evaluate your case for free when you call us today at (617) 925-6407.
Injuries from Slip and Falls in Waltham, MA
Victims could sustain any number of injuries during slip and fall accidents, such as hand and wrist injuries. Victims who trip over hazards could twist or break their ankles, and those who fall from higher heights are at a greater risk of suffering head, neck, and back injuries.
Hand and Wrist Injuries
Tripping or slipping accidents often result in hand and wrist injuries. Victims might instinctively use their hands to brace themselves for hitting the ground, leading to fractures. Bones in the hand are delicate and easy to break, especially during an impact with hard materials like wooden floors, tile, or pavement. Broken fingers could prevent many victims from returning to work immediately, as they might be unable to type, let alone perform labor-intensive tasks.
Foot and Ankle Injuries
Victims might sustain injuries to their feet or ankles when tripping over hazards like loose carpets, wires, or other obstructions. A sprained ankle might require considerable rest and time off work, while a broken ankle might require surgery and physical therapy. As they recover physically, victims might need mobility accommodation devices, such as wheelchairs or crutches, and a lawsuit should cover these costs.
Head, Neck, and Back Injuries
Victims could sustain debilitating head, neck, or back injuries during falls from standing height, though these harms are more common during falls from considerable heights, like off scaffolding or balconies. Head injuries range from concussions to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that could forever alter a victim’s quality of life. When victims hit the ground, they could sustain skull fractures that require immediate surgery and medical intervention to ensure no further brain damage.
Neck and back injuries are especially detrimental, sometimes causing paralysis. Like TBIs, spinal cord injuries might require several surgeries and extended hospital stays. While you get this essential medical care, our attorneys can collect your hospital records and bills as proof for your lawsuit. In addition to expensive financial damages, head, neck, and back injuries often cause emotional distress, and our lawyers can also seek compensation for non-economic damages in your claim.
When to File Your Slip and Fall Lawsuit in Waltham, MA
While there are a few factors to consider regarding when you should file your lawsuit, the most important is the statute of limitations. Though you have the full time provided under the law to sue, delaying your case or its preparation unnecessarily could lead to issues our lawyers can help you avoid.
The first thing to do is figure out the filing deadline for our lawsuit. Our slip and fall lawyers will do this by referring to Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 260, § 2A and pinpointing the accident’s date. You will likely have three years from that day to file your lawsuit in court, though filing sooner is typically preferable. If you wait nearly three years to file your lawsuit, you also wait nearly three years to get compensation for injuries sustained during a slip and fall. Plaintiffs who miss the filing deadlines for their lawsuits may not sue or recover damages from at-fault parties, even if their negligence did cause plaintiffs’ injuries.
When injured by negligent property maintenance, the liable party may have access to the scene long after you leave. Because of this, preserving evidence is vital, and victims may do this by photographing the area or even calling the police. We can also preserve eyewitness statements and footage from surveillance systems on the property right away. Obtaining such evidence immediately after a slipping, tripping, or falling accident can enable you to bring your claim soon, well before the statute of limitations runs out.
Tallying Your Damages from a Slip and Fall in Waltham, MA
As you recover from your injuries, we can itemize and track your losses to calculate your deserved compensation accurately. This is necessary so that you do not underestimate your claim’s value and accept a bad settlement.
This typically starts by focusing on hospital expenses, as they account for the bulk of most victims’ damages. In addition to monitoring the cost of all tests, treatments, prescriptions, hospital stays, and doctor visits, our lawyers will consider the cost of future care and, if necessary, get medical experts to give supporting statements.
We can do the same with your lost wages, using proof of income to show your previous earnings, medical records, and expert statements to confirm that you can no longer operate at that earning capacity. Non-economic damages are also compensable when victims experience pain and suffering due to negligence, and we can use the appropriate calculation methods to quantify emotional distress after a slip and fall.
Call Our Attorneys to Talk About Your Case in Waltham, MA
Call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s slip and fall lawyers at (617) 925-6407 for a free case discussion.
