How to Document a Slip and Fall Accident

Documenting a slip and fall accident is important because it serves as your legal proof that the incident happened. It can help establish liability and provide evidence to back up any claim you make related to the incident, such as your medical bills or lost wages.

More importantly, though, proper documentation can help you achieve a meaningful recovery of compensation for these damages. When you can establish a property owner’s liability, you may be able to receive the maximum possible recovery for your claim.

Step 1: Document the Scene of the Accident

Document the scene of your slip and fall accident however possible. Take lots of pictures and videos of the area and be sure to clearly depict the hazardous condition that caused your injury.

If you tripped in a large pothole, make sure your photographic evidence gives a sense of where it is, how deep it is, and how wide it is. If you slipped on a wet floor, you can use a combination of camera angles and a flash to show where the water is located and the lack of any signage warning you of this hazard.

Step 2: Write Down Your Account of What Happened

As soon as you are able, write down your recollection of the events leading up to your fall injury accident. Your account can be as simple or detailed as you wish, but try to recall every relevant detail. If you decide to add onto or change this narrative at any point in the future, it can harm your credibility.

Step 3: Identify Witnesses & Collect Their Contact Information

If there were any witnesses to your accident, make sure you collect their contact information. Their testimony in a deposition or in court can provide you with important evidence supporting your claim.

Step 4: Keep Track of Your Medical Bills & Injury-Related Expenses

Keep detailed records of all expenses you incur because of your injuries. This includes everything from your parking payment stubs at the doctor’s office to your medical bills. All of these expenses can be compensated for, but you must be sure to keep track of their existence.

Step 5: Make a Note of Any Lost Wages

If you had to take time off of work to recover from your slip and fall injury, you can also recover compensation for lost wages. Just as with your injury-related expenses, however, make sure to keep an accurate accounting of what you should have – or even might have – earned had you been at work.

Step 6: Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

Although this is the last item on this list, you want to contact a personal injury as soon as possible after your slip and fall accident. This is because having legal counsel at your side from the beginning of your claim can help you protect your potential recovery.

Your attorney can also help you with various aspects of your claim so that you can focus on what matters most in the immediate aftermath: healing.

Contact Us for Legal Assistance

If you were injured because of a dangerous hazard on someone else’s property, the Law Office of Robert J. Kaiser can help you with your premises liability claim. Slip and fall injuries are common, and they can have lifelong health and financial consequences for injured parties.

We can help you reduce the hardship facing you during this difficult time. Contact the Law Office of Robert J. Kaiser for more information.