Yes, immediately. When you fall and get seriously hurt, it’s embarrassing—and you do need to get medical treatment fast.

But you’ve got to tell the business, restaurant, store, or wherever you fell immediately, or as soon as possible. Here are key reasons to notify the business:

  • It lets them know they’ve got a dangerous condition on their floors that is a threat to other customers. You don’t want it to happen to someone else.
  • It tells them you expect them to be accountable for your injuries.  They can notify their insurance company to set up your claim. You will get the ball rolling on getting your case started. But beware the insurance adjuster who will soon call you.
  • It prevents them from asserting a favorite “defense”: “You never told us you got hurt!” It’s not really a defense, though, because it doesn’t disprove the dangerous condition or the fact that you got hurt. But the defense uses it to make your whole case look “fishy,” hoping skeptical jurors will disbelieve you.

Yes, it’s wrong. Yes, it ignores the reality that your priority was getting medical relief from immense pain. Still, it can work to hurt your case. Protect yourself by reporting your injury ASAP.

  • It gives them a chance to do their own investigation. This can yield evidence like employee statements and incident reports that can help your case.
  • BEST OF ALL, it puts them on notice that they should preserve evidence related to your fall. That could include surveillance video that’s the key to your entire case. 

The best way to protect your right to this vital evidence is hiring an experienced personal injury attorney to do it for you.

This Is Only the Beginning

If you fall and get seriously hurt, expect the business to fight tooth and nail.  You’ve accused them of ignoring unsafe conditions for customers, and the insurance company knows these cases can be tough to win.

At Holland & Usry, we’re not afraid of taking on severely injured fall victims’ cases. We know how to prove them and how to build a convincing picture of your injuries to help win your case. But we want you to hire us for the best reasons, so know why you should consider a lawyer for your case. Fill out our Get Help Now form to get your questions answered or call our toll-free line at 1-888-230-1841 to schedule a free strategy session to plan your road to justice.

 

Rob Usry
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Rob is a Spartanburg personal injury lawyer. Rob also practices as a workers' compensation attorney.