If you were injured in a slip and fall accident or trip and fall accident, you might be entitled to compensation for damages. However, you will need a skilled premises liability lawyer in your corner.
At Sabbeth Law, we want to ensure you know how to find the right lawyer for you. Follow these tips for finding the best personal injury attorney to represent you in a slip and fall accident case.
Five Tips for Hiring a Lawyer After Slip and Fall Injuries
When you first suffer injuries, your priority should be getting the care you need and recovering physically. However, you should consider your insurance claim or lawsuit as soon as your injuries are stable and healing. Getting a quick start allows you to build the strongest case possible.
Hiring a lawyer provides many advantages, including giving you the best chance of securing appropriate compensation based on your expenses and losses. Consider these five tips for your next steps in your legal case:
1. Start by Gathering Evidence on Your Own
When you work with an experienced personal injury lawyer, they will gather and organize all the evidence you need to build a strong and persuasive legal claim. However, you can help this process by gathering relevant information and documentation to support your case.
As soon as possible after your fall, write down or record as much information about the incident as you can.
This should include:
- The exact location of the fall
- The hazard that caused you to fall
- The date and time of the injury
- Where you received medical treatment
It is not always possible to take a picture or video of the fall hazard before you leave the scene, but this could help your case if so. As your treatment progresses, documenting your injuries is also a good idea. The more evidence you have, the easier it will be to make a compelling argument for fair compensation.
If you suffered serious injuries or did not document your fall accident for another reason, it is OK. Your attorney will investigate what happened and build a solid case against the liable party.
2. Schedule a Free Consultation with a Lawyer
Most personal injury law firms offer all potential clients a free consultation and case review. The purpose of this meeting is to allow you to ask any questions you have and allow the lawyer to assess the strength of the case.
Our consultations are confidential and risk-free. We encourage all injured victims to set up a free case evaluation before hiring a lawyer. During your free consultation, you can get the information you need to determine if a slip and fall accident lawyer is the right fit for your case.
Sabbeth Law provides these free case assessments to fall injury victims hurt in Vermont and New Hampshire.
3. Ask About the Lawyer’s Experience
A lawyer’s website should have some basic information, such as where they went to law school and when they started practicing law.
For these reasons, focus more on the lawyer’s experience with slip and fall or trip and fall cases during your free consultation. Some lawyers focus mostly on divorce or criminal cases and do premises liability work on the side.
Ideally, you will find someone who has handled many cases like your own.
Ask:
- How many slip and fall cases have you handled in the last year?
- How much of your practice do you devote to personal injury cases?
- Have you ever sued the company or store where I was injured?
- Can you tell me about a case you won that is similar to mine?
You should not hesitate to ask any questions you have during your consultation with a law firm. You deserve to get the answers you are looking for about a personal injury lawyer’s background, style, and experience handling slip and fall accident cases before you make your final decision.
4. Discuss Communication Styles
Legal claims don’t settle quickly. You will likely need to work closely with your slip and fall attorney for several months, a year, or longer. You may need to file an insurance claim and negotiate a settlement or pursue a personal injury lawsuit in court.
Throughout this process, you will want a law firm that makes it easy to ask questions, get updates, and assert concerns.
Beyond hiring a lawyer with a proven record of success in handling slip and fall accident claims, you need a firm you are comfortable working with on a long-term basis.
For this reason, ask:
- Who will take my calls and answer my questions?
- Do you prefer telephone or email communication?
- How often can I expect to receive case updates?
Find a lawyer whose communication style matches your own to get the best results and ensure you get the answers you need throughout this process.
5. Analyze Whether the Lawyer Is a Good Fit
After your consultation, consider how the lawyer made you feel. This aspect is so important to the attorney-client relationship but is often overlooked.
Some questions to ask yourself include:
- Did they explain things in a way I could understand?
- Was I too scared to ask a question?
- Did they ask if you had any questions?
You’ll only be able to participate effectively in your case if you understand what is going on and can ask questions for clarity. A lawyer who uses big words or doesn’t take the time to ensure you understand their advice probably isn’t a good fit.
A good fit lawyer will put you at ease, giving you peace of mind about your case. You feel like you can focus on treatment and healing because you know your claim is in good hands.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Slip and Fall Injury Attorney?
When serious injuries occur, they often affect your financial stability. You may be facing significant medical expenses, lost income, and other costs, especially if you suffered lasting injuries.
The last thing you need is another bill hitting your mailbox. This deters many injured victims from connecting with a personal injury lawyer about their fall.
Many people are understandably worried about the cost of hiring a lawyer to manage their insurance claims or lawsuits. However, this should not be a concern. Most personal injury attorneys handle slip and fall accident claims on contingency.
There are no upfront costs or out-of-pocket expenses for victims hurt in a fall accident. Instead, lawyers use firm resources to pay for investigating, building, and pursuing the case. They only get paid when they win your case and recover compensation for you.
Why Should I Act Quickly to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer for My Slip and Fall Case?
Slip and fall accidents often leave victims with thousands of dollars in medical expenses, lost income, emotional distress, and other damages. Fortunately, you can pursue and recover compensation if the property owner or occupier was negligent in maintaining their property, and this caused your injuries.
However, you need to get started building your case as soon as possible. Evidence could disappear within days or weeks of an incident, making it more difficult to show what happened and present a compelling case for fair compensation.
If you hire an attorney right away, they will manage the investigation and gather evidence while you undergo treatment and heal.
When a lawsuit is necessary, you only have a limited time. Vermont law usually gives victims three years to bring a lawsuit. The New Hampshire statute of limitations on personal injury cases is also three years. Missing the applicable deadline could prevent you from recovering compensation in your case.
A Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Will Know How Premises Liability Cases Work
Slips, trips, and falls are among the most common types of accidents in the United States. According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), fall injuries result in around eight million emergency room trips each year. Slips and falls cause about 12 percent of these trips.
Trips, slips, and falls from elevated heights are all major causes of call injuries in the Northeast. All property owners in Vermont and New Hampshire have a responsibility to keep their premises reasonably safe for guests. Trip and slip hazards should be identified and removed as soon as possible to prevent injuries.
When this does not happen, and a fall occurs, the property owner or another party tasked with the maintenance—often a lessee—is generally liable for the injuries, costs, and losses.
To build a slip and fall case and secure compensation, an attorney will generally take several steps to develop a compelling case and negotiate or litigate the case.
This could include:
- Investigation: Gather evidence such as photos of the accident scene, witness statements, incident reports, and medical records.
- Legal Analysis: Assess the circumstances to determine if there’s a valid claim. This involves examining negligence, liability, and damages.
- Demand Letter: Present a demand for compensation to the property owner or its liability insurance provider, outlining the damages suffered and the basis for liability.
- Negotiation: Negotiate with the opposing party to reach a settlement that adequately compensates the client for their injuries and losses.
- Litigation: If negotiations fail, file a lawsuit in civil court against the responsible party and proceed toward trial to ask the jury for fair compensation.
When you choose to work with a personal injury lawyer familiar with cases like yours, you can feel confident in focusing on your health and well-being while they manage the rest.
It Is Difficult for Victims to Handle Fall Claims on Their Own
The complexities of the claims process, coupled with the challenges of recovering from serious injuries, can make victims mismanage their claims. Hiring a knowledgeable and skilled attorney can significantly improve the chances of obtaining a favorable outcome.
As you may already see, trying to build a case and pursue compensation can overwhelm someone without legal experience.
Some of the major challenges you will face without a lawyer include:
- Building a Compelling Case: Proving liability and demonstrating negligence on the part of the property owner or occupier requires thorough investigation, evidence collection, and legal analysis.
- Leaning on Legal Experience: Attorneys have the skills to navigate the complexities of personal injury law, assess the value of the claim, and negotiate with insurance companies to secure fair compensation.
- Dealing With Emotional Stress: Dealing with injuries, medical treatments, and financial losses can be emotionally draining, making it difficult for individuals to effectively handle the legal aspects of their claims.
- Facing Insurance Tactics: Insurance companies often employ tactics to minimize payouts, such as disputing liability, downplaying injuries, or offering lowball settlements. Experienced attorneys know how to counter these tactics and advocate for the victim’s rights.
- Dedicating Time and Resources: Managing a legal claim requires significant time, effort, and resources. Victims may struggle to balance their recovery process with the demands of pursuing compensation on their own.
Why Choose Sabbeth Law as Your Slip and Fall Accident Attorneys?
At Sabbeth Law, our premises liability attorneys are driven by compassion and understanding. We believe you deserve justice after a careless or reckless property owner caused your accident and injuries.
Our law firm fights aggressively to help injured victims obtain the maximum financial compensation.
We will start by conducting a comprehensive review of your case, taking the time to explain your options to you and answer all your questions. This occurs during a free case consultation with our team. This allows you to get a better understanding of your legal options while ensuring our lawyer is a good fit for you.
From there, our team will work to gather all relevant evidence to build the strongest legal claim, and we will fight to hold the negligent property owner and their insurance company accountable. Trust us with your case, and you can focus on your health while we handle the rest.
Discuss Your Slip and Fall Injuries With Our Team for Free
Sabbeth Law provides free consultations with a premises liability attorney in Vermont and New Hampshire. You can speak to our personal injury lawyer today at no cost to you or your family. Contact us using our online form or call (802) 392-0621 to get started.
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