What Evidence You Need for a Slip and Fall Accident

Slip and fall accidents may be difficult to prove in a way that allows you to file a claim with your insurance company or against the store or persons responsible. After all, anybody can say that their local grocery failed to clean up the ground and are responsible for you falling in a puddle. It’s very frustrating because when you are injured and possibly unable to work, or have other life and medical expenses to cover, getting some insurance coverage for your injury can be so important.

The first, and perhaps most important, thing you should do is think ahead. When you fall, even if you’re unsure that you will have expensive medical bills later, see if you can get a photo of the accident site. You should also find a way to prove that the photo is the location and time that you claimed. A lot of photos will come with time stamps, and you get multiple photos that show the address of the location, etc. that will help. A lot of phone cameras will even save the GPS location in the meta-data. Any of that is something that you can pull out in a court to prove that the location was not maintained in a way that became hazardous.

In a situation in which you are in pain and struggling, perhaps even on the way to the hospital, this is prohibitive and difficult to remember. But the burden of proof in on the plaintiff in these situations, so even if you can’t do these things in the moment, try to return to the location as soon as possible, or have a friend do it, in order to be able to capture the conditions as they were when you fell.

The other important evidence you need is medical records related to the date of the accident. It helps if you go to the doctor as soon as possible, but sometimes symptoms, or the realization that you may need medical attention, does not arise until some time after the incident. if you able to get the doctor to say that the injury was most likely related to the slip and fall accident, that can be enough.