While browsing a business in Florida, you slipped and fell. You feel fine now, but did the store owner and employees handle the situation appropriately?
Chron explains how storekeepers should navigate customer accidents on their premises. Pay attention to delayed injury symptoms and determine if you may have a personal injury case.
Medical assistance
Customers who fall and injure themselves require immediate medical assistance. Even if you do not think you sustained harm, have a medical professional examine you for hidden injuries that may take days or weeks to make themselves apparent.
Accident report
Business owners should make a full report of the incident, noting your full legal name, the spot where you fell, whether you hurt yourself and the names of witnesses. Images of the accident site may help support your personal injury claim, but the business may also use such evidence to show they do not bear responsibility for what happened.
Inspection
While drafting the accident report, the business owner or employees should examine the area where you fell to determine what caused the accident. Loose carpeting or flooring in need of repair may cause slips and falls. Snow or rain tracked inside the store could slip people up, but such circumstances may not fall within the realm of a business owner’s control.
Legal help
Depending on how the situation progresses, a storekeeper may seek legal counsel to determine how to proceed. She or he may not claim responsibility for your fall or resulting injuries to protect her or his interests. You may seek your own counsel from a professional familiar with slip-and-fall incidents.
Understand the right way to handle your fall from both sides of the situation. The right insights help protect your rights and overall satisfaction.
