When you're badly injured, the last thing you want to think about is filling out paperwork, searching for an attorney, or trying to gather evidence. Yet, these steps are necessary if you want to collect the compensation you deserve due to someone else's negligence. The more you know about personal injury cases and hiring an attorney, the less stressful this time will be.
We've created this website to offer basic personal injury law advice for anyone who has been injured or who may become injured in the future. Keep in mind that if you've been injured in a car accident, due to medical neglect, or even by slipping in someone else's parking lot, your case qualifies a personal injury case — and thus you'll find our collection of articles relevant.
Slipping and falling to the ground can be terrifying, and so can the injuries that result from this type of incident. When it happens on someone else's property and due to their negligence, you can have recourse in the form of a lawsuit. But in order to have a strong lawsuit, you and your lawyer will need to collect evidence. What might that evidence include? Take a look.
1. Videos of the incident.
If you slipped and fell in a store or in some other type of business, there's a good chance the incident was caught on camera. You can request copies of that footage as evidence, and if the store owner refuses to give them to you, then the court can issue an order called a subpoena, which requires the videos to be turned over. This footage can prove a few different things: that you did, indeed, fall where you say you did, that the fall is consistent with the injuries you have, and that the conditions that led to the fall were the store's fault.
2. Eye witness testimonies.
Did anyone see you fall in the store? If so, they may be able to give a testimony as evidence. It's helpful if they can attest not only to the fact that you fell but also to the conditions that led to the fall. For instance, if they're able to back up your statement that there was a big spill that made the floor slippery and no sign noting that fact, then this makes your statements a lot more believable.
3. Medical bills.
In order to win your case, you need to demonstrate that your injuries did actually cost you in some way. Medical bills are usually the most direct proof of that. Don't just bring doctor's bills; you can also bring receipts from items you bought at the pharmacy to treat your injuries, receipts from chiropractor appointments you attended, and records of any other costs associated with treating your injuries.
4. Photos of your injuries.
Chances are, you'll be partly healed by the time you get around to meeting with a lawyer, and especially by the time you make it into court. So you really should be taking photos of your injuries as you heal. Take one every day, and save them so you (and the court) can look back over the progression of your healing.
Talk to your attorney about these and other useful pieces of evidence in a slip and fall case. The more proof you have, the better.
For more information, contact a law office like Nelson Fromer & Crocco Law Offices.