Worcester, MA Slip and Fall Lawyer
Slip and fall accidents are often more serious than many people think, sometimes requiring significant compensation to heal. When a property owner’s negligence causes you to slip and fall, our attorneys can help you get justice by filing a lawsuit.
Time is critical after being negligently injured, but you can do a few things to support your legal claim greatly. Start by reporting your accident to the property owner. You can also report the incident to the police and get medical care from emergency services. Before you leave for the hospital, take photos of the scene so that the area is preserved before the defendant can remove the hazard. Once you have received emergency care, we can help you navigate your claim to the end. We will determine how long you have to file and gather the evidence needed to prove each element of your claim.
Call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 for a free case review with our slip and fall attorneys.
Steps You Should Take After a Slip and Fall Accident in Worcester, MA
If you slip and injure yourself on another person or business’s property, you will very likely need to file a legal claim against them. If so, you should be sure to follow a few steps to increase the chances of your lawsuit’s success later. Reporting the accident is paramount. While on the scene, you can also gather evidence before the defendant can clean or repair the area. Then, prioritize medical care so that you have the medical evidence you need to prove your injuries. After that, our slip and fall attorneys can file your case before the limitations period closes completely. If you follow the advice below, you will be well on your way to getting the compensation you deserve:
Report Your Accident
While reporting your accident will typically come to mind after a car crash, you should also report your injuries after a slip and fall. Perhaps you suffered serious injuries in the fall. If so, call 911 to report your accident. Medical services will respond and provide on-the-scene care before transporting you to the hospital. You can also report the accident’s details to the police, who will document it in a report. We can gather these records so that they can help with your claim.
You should also report your accident to the property or business owner. Their defense attorneys will note whether you originally reported the accident or if the legal claim is the first time the defendant learns about it. Failing to report the accident to the property owner can call into question the legitimacy of your claim. If your slip and fall occurred at a business, the manager will likely take a report, which they might or might not give you. Our team can collect these records before beginning your claim negotiations.
Preserve Evidence on the Scene
Preserving evidence while still on the scene is critical since it will typically be cleaned away as soon as you leave. In some cases, you might not even be able to access the scene, so if your injuries permit, you must take advantage of the time. After all, most property owners do not want the same dangerous condition to injure another person. The easiest and often best way to preserve the scene is to take photos with your phone. Photograph the entire scene, including the area directly where the accident occurred and the surrounding vicinity. Our team will review your pictures later to identify the pertinent details to help prove your claim.
Many slip and fall accidents happen in public, so there is a good chance that witnesses will see them. Before leaving the scene, speak to witnesses and ask for their contact details so we can interview them after starting your case. Even memories of these accidents will fade, so the sooner we can speak to witnesses, the more likely we will get quality testimony.
Our lawyers can also help preserve the scene by obtaining surveillance camera footage if it exists. If your accident occurred in a business, like a restaurant or grocery store, security cameras are likely to have captured your slip and fall and its causes. We can contact the business and request that they turn over or preserve the footage. Some might not do so willingly, especially if the footage is incriminating. If the liable business refuses our request, we can direct them to preserve the footage for a legal claim until we subpoena it. If the footage exists, they have no choice but to provide it during your lawsuit.
Get Immediate Medical Attention
To prove that a negligent property owner caused your damages, you will need proof of your injuries. Thus, do not fail to get medical care by going to the hospital after your incident. Without medical records, you will have little way to connect your claim for damages with the defendant’s negligence.
Sometimes, slip and fall victims might not feel too bad after falling, so they decide to get medical care at a more convenient time. Do not do this. Waiting even a couple of hours to get medical treatment will give the other side ammunition to fight your claim. If you are claiming serious injuries but waited to get medical treatment, the defense will very likely argue that your claims are embellished for the sake of increasing compensation.
Start Your Legal Claim
You only have a limited amount of time to file a legal claim, so contact our attorneys after getting care at the hospital. Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 260, § 2A, the state’s statute of limitations, provides victims three years from the date of the incident to file their claims in court. This is one of the strictest rules in the law. If your claim is filed after the limitations period closes, you will likely have no other way to cover your losses.
Call Our Worcester, MA Slip and Fall Attorneys for Help Today
For a free case review with our slip and fall lawyers, contact the Law Office of John J. Sheehan today at (617) 925-6407.
