Our office receives multiple calls a week from people who have been injured in a fall at a store or other property, slipped on ice, or tripped on a sidewalk/defect on pavement. The mechanism of falling often causes severe injuries. If you are the victim in a slip/trip fall or with someone who has fallen, you should:
- At the scene, try to document the cause of your fall immediately, before it is fixed. For example, did you slip on an icy sidewalk where ice was permitted to form from a dripping drainpipe? Did you trip over a defective sidewalk or fall down faulty steps? Was your fall caused by a substance that was permitted to remain on the floor.
Take photographs if at all possible, get the name and phone number of any witnesses and take careful note of your surroundings. - Do NOT give a statement to anyone. Insurance company representatives call injured people right away so that they can secure a recorded statement or interview. Because the insurance company representative is conducting the interview, rarely, if ever, is the statement beneficial to your case.
- Seek medical attention and document your injuries. Take pictures of bruises, swollen limbs and make sure to follow the medical advice given to you.
- Call McMillen, Urick, Tocci & Jones as soon as possible so that we may gather important evidence about the cause of your fall before it is gone.