Every accident injury lawyer’s website probably has a guide for people involved in a car accident. It seems that victims of slip & fall accidents have been somewhat neglected, so here is my brief guide as to what you should do if you have had the misfortune of injuring yourself in a slip & fall.
- If possible, take some photos of the accident scene, showing location and surface conditions. I appreciate that taking photos might be the last thing on your mind, especially if the injuries are serious, and if you cannot take them at the time, try to return later or have a friend or family member return later to take photographs.
- Preserve and take photos of the footwear you had on at the time of the slip & fall. The suitability of your footwear is always an issue, and this is very important evidence.
- If there are any witnesses, get their names and contact information.
- Get the exact address of the location of your slip & fall.
- Notify the property owner/manager of your fall, so that they have a record of the incident.
- It goes without saying, but get appropriate medical attention.
- Contact an injury lawyer. Insurance companies tend to fight slip & fall claims, and you likely won’t get far without a lawyer.
I thought an update to this topic was appropriate, considering the winter of 2016-2017 in Calgary, Alberta has proven to be a tough one so far – and a slippery one. More than one chinook has blown in from the mountains and given us some warm temperatures – a much-welcomed relief from -25 degree weather.
However, after these warm temperatures are combined with the nightly dips below freezing, many of our sidewalks, pathways and parking lots became skating rinks in Calgary. Walking has suddenly become a dangerous activity and Calgarians are slipping, falling and suffering injuries.
It’s important to wear suitable, winter footwear in these conditions, and to take extra caution when walking around the city – especially near the edges of sidewalks and pathways where snow and ice has accumulated, frozen, thawed and frozen again, creating dangerous patches of extra slippery ice.
Drainage issues also become especially dangerous with this type of freeze-and-thaw weather – snow and ice that melts and drips from broken, malfunctioning or ineffective eaves troughs or drain pipes, and then freezes again, creating dangerous situations, especially near doors and pathways adjacent to buildings.
It’s also important to note that point number 7, discussed above, has continued to prove true in practice as of late. Insurance companies who are acting on behalf of property owners where Calgarians have slipped and fallen are fighting harder than ever to deny individuals the compensation they deserve. Contact us to let us help you with your injury claim.
For more information about what to do after a slip and fall accident, watch this video:
