Collecting the right types of evidence following a slip and fall accident is crucial to support your injury claim. To build a strong case and recover the fair damages you’re owed, an experienced attorney can help you take a comprehensive approach to gathering evidence.
Essential Evidence to Strengthen Your Philadelphia Slip and Fall Accident
You may not realize it at the time when dealing with the pain of a fall, but there are steps you can take towards your financial recovery in the moments directly after the incident. Once your immediate medical needs are met, here’s what to do after sustaining an injury in a slip and fall:
- Notify the property owner of the accident.
- Take pictures of the area where the fall happened and the conditions contributing to the accident to reinforce the cause and effect of your accident.
- Get the contact details for any eyewitnesses to the incident.
- Keep detailed records of all your medical treatment and expenses, and be sure to document your ongoing injury symptoms such as daily pain or cognitive impairment.
Some of this you can obviously do yourself, but when you hire a knowledgeable slip and fall attorney, they’ll help secure other critical evidence such as CCTV footage, employee documentation, medical documents, property maintenance reports, follow-up on the slip and fall accident, and so on.
If the accident caused a permanent disability, your attorney might also arrange for expert testimony to estimate your future medical needs and/or loss of earning potential due to the accident.
The Importance of Evidence in Slip and Fall Cases
The purpose of gathering all this evidence is to prove a property owner, work crew, maintenance company, or other party failed to uphold their basic duty of care to keep you safe. For a sound compensation claim, you need to show some act of negligence occurred that makes that party liable for your damages.
With the help of a skilled lawyer, you can use the evidence you’ve gathered to prove the slip and fall occurred because of:
- Broken handrails
- Cluttered walkways with boxes, exposed cables, and other trip hazards
- Damaged or loose steps
- Insufficient lighting
- Failure to clean and clear an icy or slippery area
- Ripped or uneven carpet and other floorings