A slip-and-fall accident in San Diego could cause injuries such as a broken hip, sprained wrist or serious head injury. Recovering from these injuries could take weeks of rehabilitation and thousands of dollars in medical bills – not to mention lost wages from missing work. If you suffered injuries in a slip-and-fall accident at work, an amusement park, a store or elsewhere in San Diego, the owner of the property could owe you for your damages. It is important to take the correct steps after a slip-and-fall to protect any right you may have to compensation.
Stay Calm
Getting hurt in a slip-and-fall accident can be painful, frightening and embarrassing. Do your best to remain calm and stay where you are until someone can assist you. Try to refrain from yelling at employees or others about the incident. Take a deep breath and begin the process of protecting yourself and your legal rights.
Request Medical Assistance
If you notice you have injuries right away, request immediate medical care. Call 911 if you need to request an ambulance or ask a supervisor at the scene to call an ambulance for you. If you do not feel injured, go to your regular doctor for a checkup anyway. You could have a muscle sprain, slipped spinal disk or head injury with hidden symptoms.
Remain Still if You Have a Back Injury
If you feel significant pain in your back, or if you feel tingling or numbness in your limbs after suffering a bad fall in San Diego, lie still until paramedics arrive. You may have suffered a spinal cord injury. Damage to the delicate nerves in the spinal cord could cause lifelong disabilities such as paraplegia or quadriplegia. Minimizing aggravation to the injury site could potentially prevent permanent damage.
Warn Others About the Risk
While still at the scene of your slip-and-fall accident, warn the people around you so they can avoid a similar fate. You have a responsibility to reasonably protect coworkers, customers, guests and others. Warn people until a manager can tape off the area.
Report the Accident to a Manager
If you slipped and fell on someone else’s property in San Diego, such as at the zoo or in a grocery store, notify the manager without delay. Find a supervisor or employee and explain that you just suffered an injury on the property. Make note of whom you speak with and how he or she handled the situation.
Document the Incident
Document your slip-and-fall accident in detail. Have a friend take photographs of the scene of the fall, the hazard that caused the slip and your injuries. Write down a description of what happened within 24 hours, while the details are still fresh in your mind. Include information such as where and when it happened, what made you fall and the name of the person you spoke to when you reported your accident.
Complete a Workers’ Compensation Claim
If you suffered a slip-and-fall accident at work, report the injury to your employer. Your employer should then fill out and file a workers’ compensation claim on your behalf. If you think your employer could be at fault for the fall, hold off on accepting a settlement offer until you have spoken to an attorney.
Collect Evidence
Keep copies of all important documents related to your accident and any claims you make to damages. Documents may include an accident report, police report, medical records, treatment recommendations, notes from your employer, letters from insurance companies, photographs and copies of claim papers.
Learn Your Rights
California’s premises liability laws hold property owners responsible for dangers that exist on their properties. You could have grounds to bring a lawsuit against a property owner if he or she negligently failed to prevent your accident.
Contact a Slip-and-Fall Attorney
After a serious slip-and-fall accident in San Diego, the law could entitle you to compensation for hospital charges, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages. Contact a San Diego slip-and-fall accident attorney to help you seek payment for these damages. Working with a lawyer could maximize your odds of financial recovery.