One of the most common personal injuries for folks here in Pennsylvania is a slip and fall. You may be walking down the sidewalk in Philadelphia, standing in your office at your job, or just visiting a friend’s house when your foot catches an obstacle and you are sent tumbling. This can cause anything from minor embarrassment to a major injury. Still, no matter the extent of your immediate pain, it is crucial that you act properly to protect your rights, as slip and fall accidents can result in major medical bills, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, and even pain and suffering. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you with your claim, but it is vital that you take the following steps after you have sustained a slip and fall injury.

1. Seek immediate medical attention

The most important thing you need to do is make sure you get medical care. A slip and fall injury can result in traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, or other harm to your body. Sometimes, you may not know the immediate extent of your physical injuries. It is crucial to avoid the temptation to walk away or tell the other people that everything is okay. Call for an ambulance or EMT to help you with any medical care you need. If you walk away without having a medical professional attend to your injuries, you run the risk of harming your future personal injury lawsuit. The person on whose premises you were hurt may now be able to claim that your injuries were sustained in a subsequent accident or that they were exacerbated by your failure to get immediate medical care.

2. Document the accident scene

While you are waiting for the medics to arrive, you should use your smartphone to take pictures of the scene where the accident occurred. This may show if there is a crack in the sidewalk, a problem with a staircase, a wet tile floor, or other hazard that caused your accident. These photographs will be a major piece of evidence for your case. You should also get the names and contact information for anyone who may have witnessed the slip and fall occur. These people can act as witnesses in a subsequent case.

3. Notify the responsible party

Often in a slip and fall accident, there is no responsible person on hand at the time you got injured. If this is the case, then you will need to find out the person responsible for the property, and notify him or her about the circumstances of your injury. This will allow them to file a report with their insurance company, expediting your claim.

If you were injured at a friend’s house, then his or her homeowner’s insurance policy may cover your medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and other expenses. If this accident happened at your office or another place of business, then there will probably be someone in the risk management department tasked with handling claims of people like you who have fallen on the premises. If you fell on the sidewalk or in a place owned by a government entity, such as Citizens Bank Park, then you may need to follow the procedures set out by Pennsylvania law. This requires you to file a written notice of claim with the government entity within six months of the date of your injury. If you fail to do this, you may lose your right to sue the governmental entity for your slip and fall accident.

4. Time is of the essence

If you are planning to sue the responsible party or file a claim with such party’s liability insurance company, you must do so within two years of the date of the accident. This is the statute of limitation for slip and fall cases in Pennsylvania. The exceptions to this rule are very limited, such as cases involving injuries to minors. Therefore, it is crucial that you bring any action within two years of the date when you were injured.

Contact Our Monmouth County Personal Injury Attorneys

Slip and fall injuries can be among the most common personal injury accidents that occur. If you are injured as the result of a slip and fall accident, call The Cassidy Law Firm today so that our experienced personal injury attorneys can help guide you through the process, getting you the compensation you deserve for your injuries.