Slipping And Tripping Accident Claims
Slips and Trips - No Laughing Matter
Slipping, tripping and falling are some of the most common accidents that happen in everyday life. They can happen to anyone, regardless of age, ability or physical fitness. Many slips and falls result in minor injuries, such as small bruises or a graze. Unfortunately, more devastating injuries can be sustained from these seemingly innocuous incidents. Injuries can range from serious wrist fractures as the victim tries to break their fall to spinal trauma or brain injury. The type of injury received can depend on a variety of factors and each case needs to be taken on its own merits.
An icy problem
In the unexpected cold snap of 2009’s winter, slip and trip accident claims soared. The Health and Safety Executive has even offered advice to home and business owners with details on how to reduce the likelihood of someone slipping on their property. It is usual for claims to increase during the autumn and winter months; leaves fall onto paths and become wet and slippery, ice forms in extremely cold weather and there is less daylight. Rain is more common and high winds can scatter debris in the most unlikely of places. In addition, there is always the ongoing problem of property maintenance - a responsibility that falls on the shoulders of the freeholder.
Whilst you may well take care to prevent others from slipping, tripping or falling on your work or domestic property, there is no guaranteeing that others will afford you the same forethought. Slippery floors left unmarked, cracked cement or ice that could have been cordoned off can all result in potentially dangerous falls. The injuries that can be sustained from hazards such as these can not only cause you great inconvenience, they can also affect your income if you have to take time off work as a result. In many cases, victims blame themselves for their perceived stupidity, unaware that the responsibility for their safety lies in someone else’s hands. And, in many cases, these accidents are all too preventable.
What to do
If you are hurt in a slip and fall accident, there are several things you should do to protect your rights and help make sure you can recover what you are entitled to receive under the law. They include making written notes on the accident; getting the names, addresses and phone numbers of all witnesses and save any evidence such as whatever caused the fall. A good way to record this is to take detailed photographs of the scene at the time. Try and include a newspaper to scale and date the accident.
Report the accident to employees of the business, but do not feel pressured to say anything or give a statement before talking to your lawyer. You are not legally obliged to give a statement to a shop employee or anyone connected to the business. At the end of the day, you do not want to find that you have said something that might damage your case; the advice of a lawyer is invaluable in these situations.
While there are many factors that make falls more likely such as adverse weather conditions, it does not remove the burden of responsibility on the property owner or if the property is used by members of the public or employees.
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