Claiming Compensation for Slipping

There are a number of ways that accidents can happen. Should you happen to slip and fall either in a public place or at someone’s home, you may suffer injuries. You could end up with nothing more than a bruised ego or end up being seriously injured for the rest of your life. You may even end up suffered an injury severe enough to warrant being awarded slip compensation, read on for tips on handling your case.

The Statute of Limitations

If you are hoping to win your slip compensation case, you are going to need to make sure that you make your claim before the statute of limitations runs out. For civil matters this is most likely to be about a year or two but this does vary from place to place so make sure that you check this out first. It is best to file a suit as soon as possible after you have suffered an injury.

Get your Facts Together

Make sure that you have all your facts together. Keep careful accounting of any medical expenses relating to your slip compensation claim and make sure to keep any documentary or photographic evidence from day 1.

Keep Track of Witnesses

You need to make sure to collect any contact info from witnesses straight away and have them give statements as soon as possible. It is a good idea to keep track of witnesses as they could move away. Getting the statements as near to the incident as possible so that the details are still clear in their minds is vital to a successful slip compensation suit.

Make Sure that the Owner is Responsible

You need to make sure that you are filing the slip compensation against the right person. Should the fall have been caused by the actions of a third party, you cannot necessarily hold the property owner responsible. You need to prove that the property owner was negligent in some way.

You will need to also prove that the property owner knew about the danger but didn’t do anything about it or didn’t take steps to warn people about it if you want your slip compensation suit to be successful.

You will need to make a case of the fact that the owner knew about the danger and that any reasonable human being would have foreseen that someone could have been hurt because of it. They then have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to ensure that the danger is averted. Failure to do so would leave them open to liability.

Have You Been Injured In an Accident?

If you’ve been injured in an accident such as a motor vehicle accident (also known as an MVA) or a slip-and-fall accident, you may need legal representation to ensure that you get reimbursed for your missed work, your medical bills, and other expenses related to your accident.

If you’re looking for a personal injury solicitor, there are some things you should consider while choosing an individual lawyer or law firm to represent your interests. The first thing is not to just open the yellow pages to the listings for attorneys and pick one that sounds like he or she would be a good choice.  You need to do some research into your options; ask friends, family, co-workers, employers or former employers, or even acquaintances if they’ve needed to use a personal injury solicitor or a personal injury solicitor firm.  If they say yes, ask who they used, and ask if they would recommend them or not.  If they say things along the line of ‘they weren’t good about returning phone calls’ move onto the next choice. 

Also, make sure that the lawyer or law firm you choose has experience in your type of accident. You don’t need a criminal lawyer for this type of legal representation, but you do need a lawyer or law firm who has won or settled at least a few cases that are similar to your case.

Once you’ve chosen a law firm or lawyer to represent you, be sure to give them all the information about the accident.  If a police report was filed (which is normally required with a MVA) you can get a copy of that for your lawyer.  This will give him/her a lot of information about the accident, including the insurance information (if any) for the other parties that were involved. If you filed a complaint with another party, such as building management in the case of a slip-and-fall accident, make sure to give your lawyer a copy of that as well. Additionally, give them copies of any medical bills or other expenses that you’ve incurred as a result of the accident.

Don’t expect your case to be resolved right away, especially if it’s a slip-and-fall accident.  Most businesses look at slip-and-fall accidents as suspicious, especially if there aren’t any witnesses, and will drag their feet about settling any cases of this type.

To summarize, choose a personal injury solicitor carefully because they will have access to a lot of information about you as well as about the accident or injury. Do a lot of research before picking out a lawyer to represent you in these types of cases, and don’t be afraid to tell the person or firm that you chose if you aren’t happy with what they are doing.