When Should I Hire a Slip and Fall Lawyer?

There is nothing which can prepare us for a slip and fall accident. One minute, we are walking next to a friend through a crowded lobby or restaurant and the next thing we know, we are lying on the floor in pain.

After such an unexpected incident, it’s crucial to understand the legal landscape surrounding these accidents. For instance, if you’re in Nevada, it’s essential to be aware of the premises liability laws that could play a role in your case. Moreover, specific locations, such as hotels and casinos, have their own set of regulations and potential hazards. Being informed can make a significant difference in how you approach the aftermath of a slip and fall.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what can occur when someone fails to take care of hazardous conditions on their property. Once a victim has regained their dignity, they realize they need to seek medical care because they are in pain from the fall. The predicament is always whether they should hire a slip and fall lawyer. The answer is simple: Immediately after seeking medical care, victims should speak with an attorney who has experience handling premise liability claims and find out what rights they have.

Potential Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

There are numerous reasons why someone falls in a shopping center, hotel lobby, business office, on a sidewalk, or in a supermarket. Some of these include:

• Wet, over waxed, or oily floor
• Loose, torn carpeting or flooring
• Poor lighting
• Sidewalks which are broken or uneven
• Sidewalks which are not shoveled or treated
• Wet items from a spill or other debris left on a floor
• Broken or missing banisters on staircases
• Broken, missing, or uneven stairs

Since a property owner has the obligation to maintain their property, when someone is injured because the owner failed to repair an existing condition they should have been aware of, they may be liable for the damages suffered by a victim.

Contacting a slip and fall accidents lawyer can help a victim understand their legal options. An attorney with experience can also make a difference in how evidence is collected for a claim being filed.

Injuries from Slip and Fall Accidents

Thousands of people suffer injury in slip and fall accidents annually. Victims of a Nevada slip and fall accident could suffer serious head trauma including traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI can change the entire future for a victim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) these injuries cause fatalities far too often. This is only one type of injury which can be traumatic for a victim.

Victims may also suffer back pain, soft tissue injuries, or internal injuries which are not diagnosed in the immediate aftermath of a slip and fall accident. Slip and fall accident lawyers who have experience handling these types of claims know what proof must be presented to solidify a victim’s claim, making it easier to hold the property owner accountable.

Steps a Premise Liability Attorney Can Take Following an Injury

When a victim has suffered a serious injury in a slip and fall accident, they need time to recover. While they are recovering, they can turn a great deal of information over to their attorney to deal with the claims process, and potential litigation. Some of the steps an attorney may take include:

• Speaking with witnesses — by speaking with someone who witnessed a slip and fall accident, it may be possible to determine the root cause. Witness statements may help determine what specifically caused the fall. Remember, there is nothing which stops a property owner from repairing a defect or placing appropriate hazard signs following an accident.
• Obtaining additional information — many facilities have surveillance cameras. The footage from these cameras can often provide valuable context following a slip and fall incident. An attorney can ask for the legal right to obtain and review the footage. However, this should be done very quickly as, often, the footage is written over within a few weeks of the original taping.
• Evaluating injuries and losses — an attorney who has experience handling slip and fall claims will generally have access to experts who can evaluate a victim’s injuries. When putting together a claim for damages, it will be necessary to have an understanding of the future costs of an injury.

While some victims believe they can handle an insurance claim on their own, doing so is not without risk. Insurance adjusters will take every legal step to provide their employer with the cover they need to pay out less than the total losses a victim suffered in a slip and fall accident.

Slip and Fall Accident Injury Insurance Claims

When someone falls on someone else’s property, there must be an accident report filed. This should be done as soon as possible after the incident. Documenting the accident is only the beginning. Once someone has received treatment for their injuries and has begun to recover, they suddenly realize what they are losing financially, including:

• Wages during recovery
• Increase in medical bills
• Household help during recovery

These are only a few of the financial losses a victim’s family may be dealing with following a slip and fall accident. The only way to recover financially is by filing an accident injury claim.

The problem is that insurance companies are not in a position to look out for the rights of victims. Instead, they are looking out for the interests of their shareholders or board of directors. This means paying out as little as possible when a claim is submitted.

Victims of a slip and fall accident must be able to prove the following when submitting an accident injury claim:

• The property owner owes the person a safe environment
• The property owner was or should have been aware of a hazard on their property
• The hazard caused the victim to suffer injury and losses

Make no mistake about it, insurers will go to lengths to prove the opposite. They may even try to put the blame for an injury on the victim. This is why it can be very helpful to have a slip and fall injury attorney working on a claim as soon after an accident as possible. Taking these important steps can make a difference to victims and their families.

Contact a Slip and Fall Accident Attorney

Whenever someone has found themselves staring up a ceiling after walking calmly through a lobby, once they have their injuries treated, they should contact a lawyer. Protecting the rights of an accident injury victim is important, which makes contacting a slip and fall injury  lawyer an urgent matter immediately after an accident occurs.  When a victim schedules a free consultation as soon as possible, we can help ensure there is a basic understanding of all their rights and legal options.