Slip Trip and Fall Accident Attorneys/Lawyer in Decatur & Atlanta, GA
Slip and fall or trip and fall accidents are second only o car accidents for injuries and even accidental death in the State of Georgia. If you are injured by a slip and fall, the owner of the property must be negligent in some way for you to receive compensation for your injuries. All property owners have a fiduciary right to ensure they provide safe premises for guests. If you have been injured by a slip, trip or fall due to a hazard or unreasonable conditions you may be entitled to damages.
To be eligible for compensation, you should prove that the property owner had a duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions. The property owner or their employee knew about a dangerous situation but did nothing to fix it, or the property owner or their employee caused the hazardous condition.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, take steps to preserve evidence. Document the conditions of the area where the accident occurred. Talk to eyewitnesses and record their statements.
The incident should be reported to the property manager and the local authorities immediately. Remember to collect your copy of the incident report.
What to do After a Slip and Fall
How you react after a slip and fall accident will have a major impact on your ability to recover compensation. You may feel several different emotions. Do not lose your cool. Stay calm and be polite during conversations.
Seek Medical Attention
It’s essential to get proper medical care after a slip and fall. Your personal injury doctor will help you document your injuries. Once the professional receives an accurate diagnosis of your injuries, they will develop an action plan.
The longer you wait to seek treatment, the easier it will be for your insurance company to prove that your injuries are not as severe as thought. The insurance company or the defendant’s legal team can even try to confirm that your injury is not related to the accident.
Suppose you miss appointments or do not follow your doctor’s instructions. In that case, the insurance company or the defendant’s legal team can use your medical records to prove that you are not seriously injured.
Inspect the Scene and Take Photographs
Inspect the accident scene immediately after a slip and fall. Try to pin down the cause of your slip and fall. If you can find the cause of your slip and fall, you can work backwards to determine what the property owner or their employees might have done differently to prevent the accident.
If your case goes to court, you will need evidence to back your claims. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Photographs are more demonstrative than other evidence, including documents and can be used as evidence.
Take photographs of the floor and the area around you. Your attorney can use accident scene photographs to reconstruct the events that led to the accident and establish negligence.
Make Official reports
Check whether you can file an accident report. When filing your report, remember to include all the vital information. Filing a report or bringing the incident to the property owner’s notice is one of the most effective ways of preventing the defendant from claiming that you didn’t take your accident seriously.
Document Everything
The human brain is not designed to record information accurately and objectively. Your memory can fade quickly. You may not remember every factor contributing to your slip and fall a few days after the accident.
To ensure you do not miss important information when narrating the incident to your lawyer, write out a narrative of precisely what happened as soon as you can after the accident. Include every information (even the minor ones).
Talk to a Slip and Fall Lawyer in Decatur
One of the first things you must do after a slip and fall accident is talking to an Atlanta slip and fall attorney. An experienced slip and fall lawyer in Atlanta will help you understand the concept of premises liability and make informed decisions.
1800HURT911 can help you find the right slip and fall lawyer in Downtown Atlanta for your needs. Our panel comprises top slip and fall attorneys in Downtown Atlanta. We can even connect you to one of our preferred doctors and arrange transportation to and from their office.
If you suffer a slip, fall, or trip you should immediately take actions to preserve or document the conditions or areas where your injury occurred. The injury should be reported to property management and local authorities immediately and an incident report generated. You should contact 1800HURT911 as quickly as possible to be assigned to an expert attorney to handle your settlement. At 1800HURT911 we can provide the comprehensive services you need for your slip and fall accident and schedule you with our preferred doctors at an office that is convenient to you and we will even assist you with transportation to and from the doctor when necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Georgia, property owners and managers are responsible for keeping their properties safe for users. If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, you can sue them for damages. To recover compensation, you must prove that there was an obstacle or some condition that caused the accident, and the management/owner did not do anything to make the property safe again. Speak to an attorney immediately after a slip and fall accident. Your attorney will help you calculate the value of your case and determine liability. Your lawyer will file a complaint/petition in court, a legal document that explains the basis for your lawsuit. After filing a petition, you must serve it to the defendant. Remember, you need to file your lawsuit before the statute of limitations deadline expires. Next, the defendant must respond to your allegations (either denying or admitting them). The defendant can file a motion to dismiss, requesting the court to dismiss certain charges or the entire case. Your lawyer will negotiate with the defendant’s legal team. If your case cannot be settled upfront, you may file a personal injury lawsuit. Prior to trial, parties exchange information and obtain evidence from one another (the discovery phase). Before a case goes to trial, it is referred to mediation. If parties fail to reach a mutually acceptable agreement, the case goes to trial.
Yes. There are various benefits of hiring a slip and fall lawyer. A slip and fall lawyer knows premises liability law. Your slip and fall lawyer will help you collect and preserve evidence. They will investigate your case and interview eyewitnesses. The professional will help you calculate the value of your case and effectively communicate with different parties (such as the insurance company and law enforcement officials). Your lawyer will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf and help you decide whether you should accept a settlement offer. They will help you abide by deadlines. If your case enters trial, your lawyer will represent you in the court. They will present evidence in your favor and examine witnesses to refute allegations against you.
There is no lower or upper limit to compensation in slip and fall cases. On average, slip and fall cases settle for $15,000- $45,000. The amount of compensation varies from case to case. When calculating the value of your case, your lawyer will consider the short-term and long-term effects of your injuries and comparative fault.
Yes. To win a slip and fall injury case against Walmart, you need to prove that:
- The accident was caused by a Walmart employee’s negligence, and
- Walmart knew or should have known about the dangerous condition, and failed to take appropriate action to fix it
There are four main factors in determining the value of a personal injury settlement:
- Whether you need surgery/surgeries or advanced treatment (cost of future medical care)
- Medical bills including medication, rehabilitative therapy, hospital stay, and treatment at a doctor’s office
- Loss of wages
- Non-economic damages (loss of consortium, and pain and sufferings)
The amount of compensation a plaintiff can recover for injuries in a supermarket accident will depend on the seriousness of their injuries and the impact their injuries have on their lives.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident that occurred on someone else’s property and can prove that the property owner/manager failed to fulfill their duties, they will be held liable for damages
