Slip and fall cases are particularly common in Canada, and especially in Ontario. The reason for this is quite simple – winters are long and cold and walkways aren’t as clear as they need to be. This tends to create a lot of slip & fall potential and sometimes, inevitably, you are going to fall for it. Even though people tend to underestimate these types of accidents considerably, they are capable of inflicting tremendous damages. From broken spines to critical brain injuries, slip & falls are to be taken as seriously as any other accident in the field of personal injury law. With this in mind, we would like to provide you with a few helpful tips on how to proceed, from a legal stand point, so that you have the strongest case against the municipal institution responsible for that particular walk way.
1. Get medical attention as soon as possible.
Now, the first thing that you need to do is to get medical attention. Safety must always come first, regardless of the situations and the potential legal consequences. However, once you do get the attention you need, make sure that you keep the paper trail of the pain. Appearing in court or in front of the insurer and stating that it was painful isn’t going to cut it – you should know that.
2. Take pictures of the area of the accident.
This is another important thing to consider. The first thing that the insurance company is going to ask is where did the accident occur? If you are unable to definitively answer this, then your case is gone from the get-go. With this being said, taking pictures should be your priority number two.
3. Secure witnesses.
Even though it may sound a bit strange to ask someone to remember the accident – it’s most certainly incredibly helpful. See if there is an eye witness to your accident and if there is – make sure to get his contact information. Let him know what it is all about and kindly ask for his assistance.
4. Wear appropriate footwear.
The court is going to be a bit refrained from awarding you the compensation you claim if you were wearing flip flops during the accident. Wearing appropriate winter boots and falling regardless attests that the walk way was in truly terrible condition, which is something that’s going to play in your favor heavily. Furthermore, this is one of the tips that you would want to take into account when it comes to staying safe during cold winter conditions.
In any case, these should give you the merits for a solid case. Make sure to get these done and you are likely to get what you set out to in the first place. It is good to discuss the details with the lawyer and they take a note of it immediately. As time passes, you tend to forget the details and that is why taking action quickly is important.