3 common mistakes people make after a slip-and-fall accident

A slip-and-fall can happen in a craft store or as someone approaches the counter to pick up their latte at a coffee shop. Frequently, slip-and-fall incidents are the results of improper facility maintenance out of business. Failing to keep the floors clean or properly secure rugs at an entranceway might lead to someone falling and incurring significant injuries.

Businesses often make mistakes regarding how they operate that lead to slip-and-fall incidents. Unfortunately, the people who fall can also make mistakes that can impact their rights after the incident that leaves them hurt. The three mistakes below could all affect someone’s medical recovery and their eligibility for financial compensation.

Failing to preserve evidence

One of the most important steps someone can take after a slip and fall is to gather their own evidence. Whether someone tripped over an exposed power cord or slipped in a puddle of water caused by a leaking roof, those dangerous facility conditions are essentially proof of negligence on the part of the business. If someone does not take photographs or record video with their mobile phone at the scene of the slip-and-fall, they may not have any reliable evidence of the negligence that led to their injury.

Choosing not to file a report

Most companies that make their facilities open to the public have a reporting process for incidents like slip-and-falls. Workers may need to contact a manager, and the manager may need to document certain details about what transpired and when.

Someone who files a report at the business creates a paper trail affirming that an incident occurred. They also create an obligation for the business to preserve certain evidence, such as security camera footage that may have captured their fall. If someone leaves the business without reporting what happened, they may have a harder time seeking compensation from the business or its insurance company later.

Forgoing a medical evaluation

There are several serious injuries that someone could develop in a slip-and-fall scenario. Some people break bones, which can be immediately obvious. Others might hit their heads. They might develop a traumatic brain injury, which may not have any significant symptoms until days or even weeks after someone hits their head on the floor at the store.

Their injury could worsen without proper medical intervention, and it may be harder for someone to seek compensation when there was a lengthy delay between when they got hurt and when a doctor finally diagnosed them with an injury. Particularly if someone hit their head or fainted during a slip-and-fall, they might be at risk of having a traumatic brain injury.

The sooner that an injury victim receives a diagnosis, the better their chances of getting both proper treatment and compensation for their injuries. Avoiding the mistakes that other people frequently make after a slip-and-fall could help someone obtain the best possible outcome when navigating this kind of difficult situation.