Unintentional slips, trips and falls are the most likely sorts of accidents if you are an older adult and can be crippling, not just because the injuries prevent you from making the most of your later life.
You may do your best to eliminate the chance of falling over in your own home, but when outside not everywhere is as safe.
Because of the potential costs of a serious hip, spine or brain injury in your later years, if you think that an injury was the result of someone else’s negligence you should not be afraid to get the help of a personal injury lawyer and claim the compensation which you need.
Steps in a Slip and Fall Claim for an Older Adult
If you have been injured because of a fall on private or government property, then you do need to get help from someone who understands what to do quite quickly. Obviously, the most important thing after a nasty fall is to get treated.
Keep copies of all your bills and other records and if you have the chance after the accident take some photos of the place where you fell over.
This isn’t always possible, but perhaps you can get on the phone and call a friend, neighbor or a relative to help you get some vital evidence and take contact details of anyone who witnessed you fall over.
When you get a chance, contact a personal injury lawyer. It is important that they have experience with the sorts of accident you were involved in as this will mean they know what to do to make a claim on your behalf.
Just because you are older and may find you have injuries that prevent you from living a normal life, the premises liability laws are the same whatever your age. If you use a public area, there is a reasonable expectation that the owner or person who looks after that area ensures the safety of the public.
If there is snow build up in winter, for instance, it would be reasonable to expect that the snow would be cleared away.
If you go to the deli counter in a supermarket, it would be reasonable to expect that there would be nothing on the floor for you to slip over on or trip over and fall down.
Proving Liability is Essential to Your Claim
If you do have an accident and are injured, your attorney will explain that the law expects you and your attorney to be able to prove that someone else was to blame for your accident if you are going to claim compensation for your fall.
That means proving that the reason for you falling over should not have been there or at least you should have been warned of its existence.
There are occasions when it is unreasonable to expect anyone to know that a hazard was present. Imagine that there was a storm in the night and a lot of tree debris is blown on to the roads and sidewalks.
The city might be responsible for clearing all this away but they do need to be given time to do it.
If you fall over the very next morning because of a branch tripping you up, you may not be able t prove that the city was at fault. However, if the storm debris was still here after a couple of weeks, it may be reasonable to expect them to have cleared it away and then your claim for compensation in the event of an accident is more likely to have a chance of being considered valid.
Getting Legal Help is Vital to Your Case
Being older has its benefits, but unexpected accidents can be harder on you than when you are younger. When you are the victim of someone else’s negligence, then it is especially important that you get the financial help to get you back on your feet and enjoying the later years of your life.
This is where an experienced personal injury lawyer can make all the difference. A good lawyer can assess your accident case and the chance of making a successful claim against those at fault.
Time may be of the essence when making such a claim, especially if it happened on government owned property, but your lawyer will be able to explain the procedure and help you through the steps to claim what is rightfully yours.
