At first, you feel embarrassed because you slipped and fell. However, the embarrassment wears off fast, as you realize that you have sustained an injury. Slip and fall incidents do not make the front page of the local newspaper like car accident cases sometimes do. They also do not receive the same scrutiny as medical malpractice cases. However, slip and fall incidents can cause serious injuries, such as a fractured arm or a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
According to research conducted by the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), slip and fall cases account for more than one million emergency room visits every year in the United States. If you sustained one or more injuries as the result of a slip and fall incident, you should act with a sense of urgency by contacting an experienced personal injury attorney who specializes in handling slip and fall cases. A personal injury lawyer can help you settle a slip and fall case quickly for several reasons. Monitors Your Insurance Claim Insurance adjusters love it when policyholders do not receive legal support during the claim filing process. Without a state-licensed personal injury attorney, an insurance adjuster is more likely to deny your claim even if you submit persuasive physical evidence. You also might deal with an insurance adjuster who prolongs the claim review process. By hiring an experienced personal injury attorney who specializes in handling slip and fall cases, you receive an insurance claim review in a timely manner. Your lawyer monitors the progress of your claim to ensure it receives the attention that it deserves. Negotiates a Settlement A personal injury lawyer who possesses strong negotiation skills is more likely to settle a slip and fall case much faster than an attorney who cannot negotiate a settlement. You can settle an insurance claim through negotiations, as well as during a civil lawsuit. Negotiations start when your attorney submits a reasonable offer for compensation. The insurance adjuster or the lawyer representing the defendant either accepts the initial offer or sends it back as rejected. Several rounds of counter offers can follow until both sides reach a settlement or decide to take the next step in the process. Calculates a Reasonable Value for Compensation One of the most common reasons why a slip and fall case takes a long time to resolve concerns the submission of an unreasonable value for compensation. To calculate a fair value for compensation, your slip and fall attorney adds up all the tangible costs associated with your case, such as the value of diagnostic tests and treatment programs. You also have the right to receive compensation for non-monetary damages, which are often the costs associated with pain and suffering. Your personal injury lawyer has to be careful not to overvalue the costs associated with pain and suffering. Submit Convincing Evidence Another key to settling a slip and fall case quickly involves submitting persuasive evidence. If you slipped and fell inside a business, your attorney should be able to retrieve the footage shot by a security camera. Submission of the copies of medical bills proves what types of injuries you sustained, as well as the monetary value attached to diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating your injuries. Your personal injury lawyer also presents witness statements, which judges and insurance adjusters typically refer to as support for the physical evidence submitted during a civil trial or with an insurance claim. Get the legal support you deserve by contacting one of our experienced personal injury attorneys to resolve your slip and fall case quickly.
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According to research conducted by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), slip and fall accidents account for around 25 percent of all workplace-related injuries. They also represent one-third of all preventable deaths.
Slip and fall incidents can unfold at any type of venue that is open to the public, including convenience and grocery stores, as well as entertainment venues such as arenas, stadiums, and movie theaters. Injuries sustained by slip and fall victims range in severity from mild bumps and bruises to compound fractures and long-term whiplash symptoms. Slip and fall incidents represent one of the most common cases handled by a personal injury lawyer. If you sustained one or more injuries as the result of a slip and fall incident, you should follow four steps when hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer. Seek Immediate Attention Regardless of how you feel after a slip and fall incident, the first item on your to-do list involves getting checked out by a licensed physician. As with cases handled by a car accident lawyer, a slip and fall incident can cause injuries that do not develop symptoms for several hours or up to a couple of days, including whiplash, concussion, and soft tissue damage. Without copies of medical bills and a detailed description of your injuries, you have no chance to get an insurance claim approved, much less win a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Gather Physical Evidence As with a car accident lawyer who collects physical evidence, the personal injury lawyer that you hire builds the strongest insurance claim and legal case possible by gathering physical evidence. However, you can give your personal injury lawyer a head start by presenting some of the physical evidence associated with your case. Start by taking photographs of what you think caused your slip and fall incident. This can mean a photo of a wet spot on a floor and/or an object sticking out in a high-traffic area. You also should speak with witnesses to find one or more people to confirm what the physical evidence tells you. In addition, asking for footage from security cameras can identify the culprit that caused you harm, as well as determine whether the venue where you slipped and fell should be held legally liable for your injuries. File an Incident Report Employees injured by a slip and fall while at work must file an incident report within a certain amount of time. Although you are not under a similar deadline, you should file an incident report as soon as possible after a slip and fall incident. Present all the information you have collected to the owner or manager of the venue, and copy every piece of evidence to ensure your incident report does not leave out any important information by the time the venue owner or manager processes it for insurance purposes. Receive Legal Support The time has come to meet with a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Your attorney helps you submit a persuasive insurance claim, as well as monitor it to ensure it receives prompt attention from an insurance adjuster. If you encounter resistance trying to obtain video footage, your personal injury lawyer takes the steps necessary to acquire it by going through the legal system. Your personal injury lawyer also files a personal injury lawsuit against the venue if negligence played a role in you sustaining one or more injuries as the result of a slip and fall incident. A slip and fall accident can cause one or more serious injuries, such as brain trauma, a fractured wrist, and spinal cord damage. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney can help provide legal support in many ways, including gathering physical evidence, interviewing witnesses, and ensuring you file a persuasive civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.
When you meet with one of our personal injury lawyers, you can expect the attorney to encourage you to act with a sense of urgency for several reasons. Statute of Limitations Each state has established a deadline for filing personal injury lawsuits. Most states have set the statute of limitations between two and four years, while a few states grant as long as six years and as short as one year to take legal action. If you fail to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages before the expiration of the statute of limitations, you can expect the court clerk processing your lawsuit to remove it from the judicial docket. The sooner you hire a slip and fall attorney, the more likely that you will file a civil lawsuit before the deadline set by the state where you live. Witness Accounts Witness accounts of a slip and fall accident provide legal support for the evidence gathered at the scene of a personal injury incident. For example, a fellow shopper at a grocery store can verify the footage captured by a store security camera. However, your slip and fall attorney should interview every witness as close to the date of the slip and fall accident as possible. Witnesses tend to provide less reliable versions of events the longer they wait to meet with a slip and fall lawyer. Recover Compensation Unless you arrange a payment plan with a debtor that allows the debtor to take out expenses from an approved insurance claim and/or a favorable legal judgment, you have the financial obligation to pay medical expenses and other types of economic damages until you receive compensation. Since medical bills can quickly run into thousands of dollars, reaching a quick settlement with an insurance company prevents you from falling deep into a financial hole that might require the filing of bankruptcy documents. Interact with Insurance Company The insurance company that processes your claim wants you to submit the claim as quickly as possible after a slip and fall accident. Without the legal support of a personal injury attorney, the insurance company might take advantage of you by denying a valid claim or approving a claim that is valued well below what you deserve. Because the insurance company wants you to file a claim shortly after a slip and fall accident, you must act quickly when hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer to handle your case. Crowded Judicial Docket The judicial docket for civil lawsuits is typically crowded with cases. This means you might experience a delay in the processing of your case, especially if you plan to take the case to the trial phase of the litigation process. Hiring a personal injury attorney as quickly as possible after a slip and fall accident gets your case heard sooner than if you wait to hire a lawyer a few months down the road. The National Safety Council states that, “slips, trips and falls are one of the most common and costly workplace incidents across all industries.” In fact slip and fall accidents are one of the leading causes of workers’ compensation claims in the U.S. and are responsible for sending 9 million people to the hospital annually. Furthermore, the average cost of a slip and fall is $20,000 per accident and results in 95 million workdays being lost each year according to the EHS Today website. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) statistics show slip and fall incidences account for 15 percent of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.
The attorneys at Schiff & Associates have a long history of litigating slip and fall accidents and getting results for clients injured in premises liability cases as well as workplace incidents. Our workers’ compensation attorneys are experienced in handling every aspect of a BWC claim including interacting with the MCO’s, TPA’s and BWC regardless of the severity of the injury or if the accident resulted in loss of life. In addition our attorneys will represent you at administrative hearings and courts appeals whenever necessary. Getting injured and then trying to navigate the complicated process of filing a BWC claim can be extremely difficult on your own. This is why we offer a free consultation and evaluation of your case with one of our specialized workers’ compensation attorneys. At Schiff & Associates, we have a long tradition of winning, and we welcome the opportunity to talk to you about your case. Please contact us today. The experienced attorneys at Schiff & Associates have offered the area trusted legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death since 1982. We have a history of getting clients the results they deserve and recognize that financial recovery from an accident is just as important as physical recovery. Call today for information regarding legal services from Columbus, Ohio’s top personal injury lawyer. Source: ehstoday.com/safety/high-cost-slips-trips-and-falls-infographic If you or a loved one was injured or died as a result of a preventable accident that was the result of someone’s negligence, you need the advice of an experienced slip and fall attorney. The law offices of Schiff & Associates have a successful track record of obtaining fair settlements for clients injured in premises liability cases. Our staff knows how to investigate these types of accidents, prove liability and negotiate or litigate for the maximum compensation for personal injury victims.
Each year, a countless number of people are injured in supermarkets, retail stores, bars and restaurants, parking lots, apartment buildings, and private homes that result in injuries such as serious back injuries, head trauma, or multiple fractures. In many cases property owners could have prevented these injuries. As an experienced slip and fall lawyer, we have the expertise to determine who is responsible and fight for a fair settlement. Expenses from slip and fall injuries can include medical care, lost wages, and loss of enjoyment of life. As one of our attorneys, Keith J. Shepardson says, “Helping the injured party who is in a difficult situation helps to balance the scales.” Keith has been with our firm for over fifteen years and explains that as an attorney he “can fight for the personal injury victim, the person who doesn’t have the knowledge or the resources to confront the attorneys of an insurance company. I can help them with their recovery.” Another of our lawyers, Terry Hummel sums it up by saying, “As attorneys, our role in society is to obtain some level of justice for our clients,” Your first initial consultation is free and we work on a contingency basis so you will not pay any attorney fees or costs unless you received a settlement. Please contact us today to learn more. The experienced attorneys at Schiff & Associates have offered the area trusted legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death since 1982. We have a history of getting clients the results they deserve and recognize that financial recovery from an accident is just as important as physical recovery. Call today for information regarding legal services from Columbus, Ohio’s top personal injury lawyer. If you or your family has been adversely impacted by someone else’s negligence, a personal injury lawyer can help you to recover the maximum amount of compensation you deserve. At Schiff & Associates, we know that actions have consequences and some of them result in painful injuries or wrongful death and require quality legal representation.
As your lawyer, we will work hard on your behalf to pursue the maximum compensation through settlement negotiations or if required, in the courtroom. Furthermore, we stay motivated when we receive feedback from clients such as Phyllis S. thanking us for helping her family during a very difficult time. Phyllis wrote to say, “When my daughter died as a result of a truck accident, Scott Schiff & Assoc. protected my 3 grandchildren’s financial future. He treated our family like it was his own! While my 3 grandbabies will never have their Mom, at least they won’t have to worry about finances for the rest of their lives.” In another testimonial, John C. states, “Scott treats me with a lot of personal attention and respect…He’s glad to represent the little guy. Scott is a great guy who fights hard for you.” These two clients are an example of why we continue to work so hard and to treat each case as if it will make a difference in a person’s life – because we know it does! For over 30 years, we have been the most trusted personal injury lawyer in Columbus Ohio and know how to aggressively pursue the settlement you are entitled to by law. Also remember that Schiff & Associates will represent you on a contingency basis. Your initial consultation is free, and you are not charged any attorney costs or fees unless we successfully recover compensation for your claim. Visit our website for contact information and to learn more about our services. The experienced team of Schiff & Associates has offered the area trusted legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death since 1982. We have a history of getting clients the results they deserve and recognize that financial recovery from an accident is just as important as physical recovery. Call today for information on our extensive legal services from Columbus, Ohio’s top personal injury lawyer. If you or a loved one suffered from an injury that was the result of a hazard you encountered while at a restaurant, shopping mall, parking lot, apartment building or a private home, you may need the services of an attorney who specializes in slip and fall accidents. Under the Ohio statute of limitations for slip and fall claims, a person has two years in which to file a claim. While most slip and fall cases in Ohio reach a settlement without ever going to trial, the attorneys at Schiff & Associates have the expertise to litigate your case in the courtroom if needed.
As one of the leading personal injury attorneys in Columbus Ohio, our team knows how to investigate accidents, prove liability and to get our clients a fair settlement. If you experienced a slip and fall accident that was the result of negligence on the part of a property owner such as unsafe walking conditions, inadequate lighting, loose railings, spills and other problems, you need to talk to us. If it is determined that your slip and fall accident could have been prevented, you may be entitled to recover all of your related costs including medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering as well as any other damages. Furthermore, regardless of whether we negotiate a settlement or go to trial, we always fight for maximum compensation. It is important that you meet with one of our attorneys who specialize in these types of claims as many slip and fall accidents result in serious head trauma, back injuries, or multiple fractures. Your initial consultation is free, and as we work on a contingency basis, you will only pay legal costs and attorney fees if you receive a settlement. Don’t wait; visit our website for further information. The experienced team of Schiff & Associates has offered the area trusted legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death since 1982. We have a history of getting clients the results they deserve and recognize that financial recovery from an accident is just as important as physical recovery. Call today to learn how Columbus, Ohio’s leading slip and fall attorney can help. |
AuthorSince 1982, the attorneys of Schiff & Associates have provided our clients with quality legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death. Our clients benefit from the combined skills of a powerful legal team. Archives
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