One: At the Time the Accident Occurs
When you are injured due to the negligence of another, it is important to gather information about your injury. Whether you are injured at a business with an accident report policy or on private property with no one around, there are several pieces of critical information for you to collect at the time your accident occurs. Firstly, if you are on a property that has an accident report policy in place, make sure to fill it out completely, noting what happened and if there were any witnesses to the accident and the conditions that caused your fall. It is also important to note details such as the lighting at the time of the accident. If there is no accident report policy or you are on private property by yourself, create your own written record of what happened. Be sure to include a complete and accurate description of the circumstances- why you were at the place of the accident, conditions such as weather and lighting, if there were others around, etc. You should also include the direct comments made by those who either saw the accident or helped you after your fall occurred.
Two: What You May be Entitled to
After you have been treated for your slip and fall accident, you may have amassed a large amount of hospital bills and missed a lot of work. Missouri personal injury laws allow you to seek compensation from the owner of the property on which you were injured. Depending on the extent of your injury, you may be entitled to compensation for medical treatment related to your injuries, medical equipment or prescriptions, loss of wages while you were missing from work, any personal property that was damaged or destroyed in the accident, and pain & suffering compensation.
Three: Dealing with the Insurance Company
After you have assessed the damage of your slip and fall accident, you will have to speak with an insurance adjuster. It is their job to determine if there is a slip and fall injury and what your responsibility was in the accident. Most likely, he or she will try to settle the case immediately, and will commonly ask questions about your injury and the time of the accident. This is when it becomes extremely important that you have a detailed and accurate account of the date and time of your accident. The insurance company will want to know what injury you sustained, what you were doing at the time of the accident, if you blatantly ignored warning signs, and whether or not you were allowed to be in the area where the accident occurred.
Four: Why You Need an Attorney
As you can see, there is a lot of information involved in gaining compensation for your slip and fall injury, and the insurance company will try to withhold compensation if there is any way they can prove you were the one at fault. Hiring an experienced slip & fall accident lawyer can help you receive the compensation you deserve. A skilled personal injury attorney will be knowledgeable on Missouri personal injury laws and know how to navigate conversations with insurance adjusters.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, you need to choose high quality legal representation right away. The sooner you contact a personal injury lawyer, the sooner they can go to work to get you the compensation you deserve. The law office of Flanagan & Peel, PC, has successfully represented clients in their slip and fall accident claims. If you are seeking high quality, aggressive representation for your slip and fall claim, please contact us.
