Avoiding Blame: 3 Things Not To Say After A Slip And Fall Injury
Public places have the responsibility to keep their place of business safe for visitors, and they even carry liability insurance to cover accidents. However, just because these are the general rules, it does not always mean if you slip and fall in a store, restaurant, or other place of business, they will step up and make sure you are taken care of. In fact, it is not at all uncommon for places to try to avoid their own liability by blaming you for your injuries. If you fall in a place of business, make sure you don't say the wrong thing and in turn have fingers pointing back at you when you file a personal injury claim. Here are a few things you should avoid saying.
Don't say you are not injured.
If you are like a lot of people, falling in a public place will cause you to feel a little embarrassed about the whole scene, and you may even try to jump up before anyone sees what has happened. Unfortunately, this is also a good way for a place of business to claim that you seemed fine. Even worse, if someone stops to help you out after seeing you fall and you tell them you are fine, this could be brought up later on if you have to file a personal injury claim because you are injured.
Don't tell the place of business that you don't need medical attention.
After an injury at a place of business, you will usually be required to fill out an accident report with a manager or owner of the property. You will probably also be asked if you feel you need to see a doctor or other medical professional for your injuries. Even if you are not asked, it is best to insist that you need medical attention to be checked out for your injuries. Telling the people you are reporting the accident to that you don't need medical care is not something you should do. If you discover later that you do need to go to the doctor, the business could claim that you were not injured when you left the store because you did not want medical attention.
Don't mention prior injuries or pains when reporting the accident.
If you have a bad knee or your back was hurting when you fell, it is best not to bring these prior aches and pains up when you file your accident report at the place of business. If you do, the company could try to relate the fall itself with your personal ailments instead of taking liability for the accident.
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