If you suffer from a slip and fall incident at a public location, the initial injury will become a major focus of your case. While a lawyer will use video footage and witness statements to highlight the injuries, the impact can go well beyond the initial injuries.
Learn what elements to focus on and bring into your case when you meet with a personal injury lawyer. Each element will help you build a stronger case and expand beyond just the initial injury. Building up your evidence can make a difference on the outcome and total settlement amount for your case.
1. Personal Statement
At some point during your injury, any footage that was on-camera will end. You will get moved out of frame, get carried on an ambulance, or receive medical treatment. The whole journey from your initial slip and fall can make a difference on the case. For example, you may have to spend extended time in the ER to have scans completed.
You may need to get a cast put on broken bones. In some severe cases, you may need surgery for problems like spinal injuries or broken bones that impact other organs. All of these elements can become a part of your personal statement. The personal statement will detail everything you went through due to the slip and fall.
With your personal statement, you have the opportunity to personally highlight the pain you went through as you were treated for the injury and had to go through the healing process. These details include a lot more than hospital records would show and can really break down the finite details of the process.
2. Immediate Life Adjustments
A slip and fall injury could create the need for some immediate life adjustments. For example, you may have to take time off work. The amount of time you take off may be extended based on the injury. For example, if you broke your leg, then you may not be able to function in a job where you're on your feet all day.
The amount of time you miss from work will have a direct impact on your personal injury case and a lawyer will factor this into your case. You may have some immediate changes in your home as well. If you have a multi-level home, then injuries to your back, legs, or neck could create problems when you walk up the stairs.
You may need to limit the areas you travel around your home and change some of your habits right away. In some cases, you may need to stay at a rehab center until you gain a little mobility. These direct changes will have costs and impacts on your everyday life. A personal injury attorney will account for all of these elements.
3. Treatment Options
For a slip and fall injury, you may need treatment beyond the initial medical response. In many cases, the treatment can involve both physical and emotional needs. Physical treatments may include physical therapy that helps you heal, rebuild muscles, and ensure your body comes back to form.
Physical therapy session costs can add up and a personal injury attorney can help you recoup these costs along with any future physical therapy costs you may need. You may also seek treatment for emotional trauma. A therapist can help guide you through the emotional pain you have from the initial trauma or the stress you've gone through while healing.
Emotional trauma can become a big element within your case and you may need the help for a therapist to help you process and get through the whole ordeal.
4. Quality of Life
While the initial injury incident could last for less than a minute, the impact could have a long-standing effect on your quality of life. Your quality of life could change in so many ways after an initial injury. For example, everyday impacts could include the way you prepare meals and cook food. A back injury could prevent you from standing in a kitchen.
The inability to drive may impact your ability to visit friends, go shopping, or get out. Your quality of life could drastically change based on any plans you already had. For example, you may need to cancel or postpone an upcoming vacation due to the injury. If the injury occurred around the holidays, then you may need to cancel holiday travel plans or plans with family.
All of these minor and major changes could have a big impact on your quality of life. A personal injury attorney will showcase how your quality of life changed since the injury and how the impacts all directly relate to the injury.
If you been injured in a slip and call accident, do not hesitate to call us at David Helfand PA. We can schedule a free consultation to go over your injury, the next steps for your case, and answer any questions you have.
