A person who slips and falls at a business may experience a profound sense of embarrassment. They may rush away from the location where they fell and hope that no one who knows them witnessed what happened.
That attempt to avoid embarrassment can have negative repercussions for that person later. If it turns out that they have injuries, they may struggle when trying to pursue compensation. People who take the three steps below may have an easier time pursuing compensation later if they discover signs of injuries.
Document what caused the fall
Some people slip in a puddle caused by a leaking refrigeration unit. Others might trip over a power cord or a piece of peeling linoleum. A business can very easily clean up what caused the fall after an incident occurs.
Therefore, an individual involved in a slip-and-fall usually needs to capture evidence of the conditions that caused their fall. So long as the incident didn’t damage an individual’s mobile phone, they can take video footage or capture photos to preserve the scene of the incident. They could also ask another person in the store to use their phone and then send the files to themselves if their device is not present or does not work because of the incident.
Report the issue to management
People often look themselves over, assume they have no injuries, and leave the store. The business may then not have any official record of the incident. Taking the time to notify management of the slip-and-fall can be a crucial step for the protection of the person who fell.
If they need compensation later, that internal report could make all the difference. Speaking to the manager on duty about a slip-and-fall is crucial for preserving evidence and corroborating the claim that the visitor fell at the business.
See a medical professional
There are many slip and fall injuries that people may not notice right away after they fall. A broken bone can remain stable, meaning that the affected body part can still bear weight until there’s a secondary trauma that forces the bone out of alignment.
People could also have soft tissue injuries or brain injuries that don’t produce symptoms until the next day or even later. By seeing a doctor after a slip-and-fall, people can undergo a medical review and may catch early warning signs of a condition before it worsens. They also have official records that help connect their symptoms to the incident at the business.
Taking the right steps after a slip-and-fall incident can improve someone’s chances of physical recovery and may protect their right to request financial compensation later. Slip-and-falls can be expensive in some cases, and it is usually better to err on the side of caution after a public fall.