Slip and Fall Accidents in a Commercial Business

Posted by & filed under slip and fall injuries, The Travis Law Firm Blog.

Commercial Businesses Harbor Slip and Fall Dangers

The United States has many commercial businesses, including Walmart, which is a large retailer with an abundance of stores. Because of its vast presence, Walmart leaves itself open to many personal injury claims such as slip and falls. Unlike other businesses, Walmart self-insures and carries its own liability insurance. If they are held liable for a slip and fall accident, they pay the compensation themself. 

Other commercial businesses in Pennsylvania use other types of insurance coverage to compensate someone injured on their premises. No matter how this is done, it is up to your personal injury lawyer to investigate the accident and build a strong case for compensation.

What Should You Do After Slip and Fall Accidents?

To protect yourself and help procure fair compensation, the following steps should be taken:

  • Ask for medical care
  • Fill out an accident report, and be specific about where and why it happened
  • Use your cell phone to take pictures of the reason you slipped such as a spill or accumulated water
  • Look for video cameras in the store, and take a photo of their placement
  • Note if employees were in the area before, during and after your fall
  • Talk to witnesses and ask for their contact information
  • Ask bystanders if they saw the spill/accumulated water or other problem that caused your slip and fall
  • Photograph the injuries you suffered
  • Preserve the clothes you had on when you fell
  • Maintain a log of how your symptoms progressed, and keep all receipts pertaining to your accident

Compensation in Slip and Fall Accidents

Personal injury claims are either settled or go to civil court. The fastest way to recover your damages is to negotiate a settlement. However, commercial businesses and their insurers frequently try to offer a low-ball settlement early on in your case. There are problems with this approach, and they know that but bank on the fact that you may be out of work and need the funds.

One issue is that many symptoms and injuries are not clear soon after an accident, and treatment may be uncertain. If you accept their offer, you will have to sign a release that prevents you from suing them to pay for the treatment you didn’t even know you needed at that time. 

Expenses in Slip and Fall Accidents

Damages that are recoverable in a slip and fall accident are:

  • Medical expenses: All costs associated with the injury such as transportation to the hospital, ER costs, medications, tests, X-rays, and the like can be recovered.
  • Wage Loss: This includes the wages you would have earned had the accident not happened. It also includes the funds earned by contract workers. Commissions, bonuses and other perks can also be included.
  • Pain and suffering: The psychological, emotional and physical pain you suffer after the accident are included. A spouse can also attach a claim for loss of consortium due to the accident injuries.
  • Out-of-pocket expenses: Any payments you make to travel to the doctor’s office/rehabilitation or for prescriptions or assistive medical devices are covered. 

How an Attorney Can Help

Your attorney can help by investigating the accident, interviewing witnesses and obtaining video footage of slip and fall accidents. They can also review the video footage to see how often inspections of the area were made and how long it took for the area to be cleaned. After all the evidence has been gathered, the attorney can build a robust case to be used during negotiations or in civil court.

Travis Law Firm

If you are injured in a slip and fall accident, call the Travis Law Firm at (814) 277-2222 to schedule a free case review. You can also reach out to us online. We work on a contingency basis, so you don’t pay us until you win.