Imagine you have been driving all afternoon and are almost to your destination for the night, when you realize you should probably get gas before you arrive. You stop at the gas station and decide to run inside to get something to drink. As many people would too, you assume this will be a quick and easy trip inside. However, the floor in the convenience store is wet and you slip and fall in the middle of the store. You can tell you are injured but you are not sure what to do since no one is around.
If you or your loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident at a gas station, contact a personal injury lawyer today to learn what your rights are. Below you will learn what the next steps you should take are immediately following your slip and fall:
- Speak with the manager or someone in charge: One of the worst things you could do following a slip and fall injury is to leave without saying anything. Think about it from the owner of the store’s point of view. Imagine you were to receive a phone call from someone saying they fell a few days ago in your store and that is the first time the owner had heard about the incident. The owner would probably be very suspicious. If you fall and get hurt, it is important for you to tell anyone who works at the store. You should also get their names, tell them in detail what happened, and show them the cause of your fall.
- Make sure an incident report is completed: Most gas stations have safety procedures and policies in place. The manager of the store will know what to do if someone is injured. It is important to ask for them to file an incident report with exactly what happened and give them your contact information. You should also ask for a copy of the report to establish proof that your accident did occur.
- Seek medical attention: Another terrible thing you can do for your personal injury claim and your health is to wait to visit a doctor or urgent care. If you don’t seek treatment in a timely manner, the insurance company may question how severe your injuries actually are.
- Obtain contact information from any witnesses: If there are any witnesses of your fall, it is important to ask for their contact information. Friends and family speaking to your injury afterwards is great, however, an independent witness of the fall can be extremely beneficial.
- Use your cell phone to document everything: Use your cell phone to take photographs and videos of the scene of the fall. It is important to take photos as soon you can because the scene of the accident can be cleaned up or fixed while you are seeking medical treatment. Once it’s fixed, it becomes difficult to prove what the scene looked like without photos.
- Contact a personal injury lawyer: It is common sense that a property owner won’t simply give you money because you told them you were injured on their property. It is important to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney Bristol, TN relies on if you’ve been injured at a gas station to learn all the proper steps you should take to receive the compensation you deserve.
Thank you to our friends and contributors at The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt for their insight into personal injury claims and slip and fall injuries.