Tampa Slip and Fall Lawyers
Slip and fall, or trip and fall injuries, are one of the most common causes
of personal injury and often one of the most difficult to prove. If a
slip and fall occurs on the job, then it should be covered by workers'
compensation insurance, without any need to determine liability. But if
you are injured off the job, then documenting the circumstances surrounding
your injury is critical, as you must prove the owner or lessor of the
premises was negligent in their maintenance of the area. In short, you
bear the burden of proving the conditions which caused you to fall were
the result of negligence.
In most slip and fall cases, there is a foreign substance on the floor
which causes you to fall. In order to recover damages, you must prove
that in fact there was a foreign substance on the floor and that it was
there long enough that the owner either knew it was there or with reasonable
maintenance practices, should have known it was there and nevertheless
failed to clean up the substance.
If you can remember to take a few simple steps at the outset of your case,
recovery can be made easier. First, you must gather as much information
at the scene of the fall.
Photograph the area immediately following the fall, use a camera phone
to snap a few pictures;
Report the incident immediately to store or building management;
Fill out and take a copy of the incident report if you are medically able;
Gather names and phone numbers of witnesses to the accident;
Note the general state of cleanliness of the area, photographing any other
problem areas.
After the fall;
Seek immediate medical attention;
Save the clothes you were wearing if they are covered in any liquid;
If the fall resulted from uneven pavement, a pothole or sidewalk crack,
photograph the area with a time and date stamped camera, preferably a
digital camera;
Save the shoes you were wearing. Take them off as soon as possible and
preserve them, as insurance carriers will often claim you contributed
to your own fall by failing to wear appropriate footwear.
Depending on the circumstances, your injury could be covered by premises
insurance, homeowners insurance, workers' compensation or municipal
insurance.
Contact Us
If you have been injured, contact an attorney immediately to help preserve
your claim. We can have a professional investigator on scene within 24
hours to begin gathering evidence. The insurance companies aren't
waiting to begin their investigation and you shouldn't either. Contact
the law office of Harris & Riviere in Tampa today by calling (813)
229-2667 for an appointment, send us an
email or complete one of our free
case evaluation forms.