Trip, Slip and Falls
Manhattan Slip And Fall Lawyer
Slip and fall accidents are more common than most people realize. Approximately eight million people visit the emergency room every year due to falls, of which about 12% are slip and fall accidents. These can easily result in injuries like broken bones, sprained ankles, knee injuries, shoulder dislocations, and more, making the medical bills exceptionally expensive. Thus, it is always advised to appoint a Manhattan Slip And Fall attorney to get compensation.
The Gray Law Firm has a team of experienced personal injury professionals who can build a solid case for you and get you the compensation you deserve. If you believe that you have been a slip and fall accident victim, contact our company to protect your rights.
What To Do After A Slip, Trip, and Fall Accident
After a slip, trip, and fall accident, follow these five steps:
Get Medical Treatment
Personal injuries require immediate medical attention. After you have experienced a slip and fall accident, the first thing you should do is see a doctor and have your wounds tended to. If you find yourself unable to walk to the hospital, call 911. While you are at the hospital, make sure the injuries you have sustained have been adequately documented. Your medical records will be among the evidence of the accident, which your slip and fall attorney can later use to build your case.
If you don’t already have a slip and fall attorney, it is advised to get one as soon as you can. For reference, the Gray Law Firm provides personal injury legal guidance and representation.
Report the Incident
Once your injuries have been tended to, report the accident to the property owner, this may vary depending on where you suffered the accident. For instance, if it happened in front of a business establishment, you will be required to report it to the manager or whoever is in charge there.
If it happened on or near someone’s residence, it should be reported to the homeowner or landlord of the property. After reporting it, the best course of action is to take pictures of the area, so you already have evidence to hand to the lawyer, who can take charge of the case from there on out. If there were any witnesses to the accident, try to get their names and contact information.
Limit Communication with the Property Owner
After reporting the incident to the property owner, please refrain from talking to them until you have contacted a lawyer. Stay calm, and refrain from engaging in any sort of argument. Before giving any statement to the insurance company of the property owner, get a lawyer.
Get a Personal Injury Lawyer
Hire a slip and fall accident lawyer at the first opportunity you get. The Gray Law Firm can extend legal help even on short notice. If you don’t already have a personal injury attorney, then contact us. We can take care of the paperwork, deadlines and deal with the negotiations with the insurance company.
Determining Who is Responsible
Slip and Fall accidents are covered under premises liability law, as are other accidents caused by dangerous conditions on someone’s property. The owner of the business or house may have failed to keep up with standard maintenance procedures or may have been unable to rectify a safety hazard, or may have failed to put up a necessary warning sign.
In any of these cases, the responsibility of the accident, should it lead to a personal injury, lies with the property owner. They will be legally liable to compensate you due to their negligence in the matter. This means that their insurance company would be required to pay for medical expenses and other losses that you incur because of the accident. Here are some of the common causes of slip and fall injuries for which the property owner will be responsible.
- Broken floors or cracked surfaces
- Wet floors
- Uneven or crumbling sidewalks
- Torn carpeting
- Faulty staircases
If the property is publicly owned, government agencies will be liable. In that case, local statutes applying to government bodies will be referred to.
To ensure that your rights as a citizen are upheld, you should hire a lawyer familiar with the ins and outs of premises liability law. They should also be knowledgeable and competent enough to protect your rights in front of the insurance company or in a court of law, should it come to that. The Gray Law Firm ticks all of those boxes, thanks to our team of legal specialists with years of experience in fighting personal injury cases.
Benefits of a Getting Personal Injury Lawyer
Here is how a lawyer can help you build a case:
They Can Prove Fault and Liability
To claim compensation, you would be required to prove that the fault was of the property owner. This can be done by establishing that the conditions where the accident occurred were dangerous, and they were due to the owner’s negligence. Then, your lawyer will investigate the site, take your statement, collect evidence, talk to witnesses, and build your case.
They Can Interpret the Law For You
The lawyer will use their legal prowess to interpret the law and protect your rights, both of which can be tricky if you’re left to your own devices.
Damage Calculation and Settlement Negotiations
A lawyer can calculate your present and future losses, which are a direct consequence of the accident. Those losses may include your medical bills and other expenses, like lost wages. Personal injury attorneys can also help negotiate a settlement deal with the insurance company. Without a lawyer, you will have to negotiate for yourself, in which case, you could be persuaded to settle for less than what you deserve because of your inability to calculate your total losses.
They Will Represent you in Court
While keeping things out of court is ideal, sometimes, the other party’s insurance company is unwilling to commit to a fair settlement, in which case you will have to sue the at-fault party. That is when a lawyer can prove invaluable; they will state your case to the judge and do their best to get you the desired verdict.
Why Choose Us?
The Gray Law Firm has been fighting and winning the cases of personal injury victims for years. We consider a violation of personal rights a huge offense, and thus, we have dedicated all our resources to protecting the rights of every client we meet. This is why most of the clients we get are through referrals. If you have been subject to personal injury and need compensation for your damages, contact our team of professionals and rest easy. Through in-depth research and investigation, we assure you that you will get the compensation you deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
A slip and fall injury occurs when a person slips, trips, or falls due to unstable and unsafe conditions in or around a privately or publicly owned property. Conditions such as wet floors with no warning sign, uneven surfaces, faulty staircases, or sidewalks can result in severe personal injury.
If you trip and injure yourself on the property of a homeowner, or a business owner, their insurance company will be required to pay your injury bills. For this, you will need to file a claim. The problem occurs when the insurance company delays the claim or tries to force you to settle for an amount less than what you are owed. They could refuse to pay for your injuries altogether. This is when you will require a lawyer. Therefore, it is better to hire an attorney before you enter into negotiations with the insurance company.
Slip and fall cases require the victim to prove that the cause of the accident was the property owner’s negligence, which can be hard to prove, especially when you’re required to give evidence. Moreover, they will also need to prove that physical and financial damages were involved and that the owner owes the victim compensation. Proving all this can be difficult, so contact the Gray Law Firm for legal advice if you find yourself at a loss.
Ideally, a slip and fall lawyer needs to be hired as soon as the accident occurs. This is so that they can investigate the scene and gather evidence and witness statements to prove that you were the victim. Thus, time is of the essence. Contacting a lawyer as soon as possible will give them plenty of time to build a solid case for you.