Suffering an injury on a business property can set off a complicated chain of events. The business property owner and their insurance company will likely look for every reason not to pay for your injuries.
The steps that you take after an injury on a business property are crucial to ensuring you can seek financial damages in the case. Here’s a step-by-step of what you should do after suffering an injury on an Indiana business property.
Step-by-Step Instructions After an Injury on a Business Property
Following these steps will help ensure that your injuries are well documented and eliminate some of the arguments that the other side might give for not paying out on your claim.
1. Seek medical attention as soon as possible
The sooner a medical professional evaluates your injuries, the better chance your body has at an effective recovery. And the sooner you seek medical attention, the clearer it will be that your injuries are related to your accident on the business property.
Waiting to seek medical attention can cast doubt as to the source of your injuries and ailments. It’s smart to see a doctor right away. If you don’t leave the scene in an ambulance, get to an urgent care facility or your primary care doctor as soon as possible for an assessment.
2. Gather evidence
If you’re seriously injured, this process could be harder to do yourself. But ideally, you would take photos of the accident scene soon after you sustain the injury. Ideally, you don’t want to give anyone the chance to change the scene or remove the hazard before you can photograph it to prove what it looked like at the time of the accident.
When you are unable to do so because of your injuries, ask a witness to take photos and send them to you. The more thorough you are here, the easier it will be for your attorney to prove your injuries.
3. Talk to witnesses
At a minimum, you should gather contact information for witnesses who saw what happened or can testify to what the scene looked like at the time of the accident. Witness accounts will further prove your case.
Provide the witness contact information to your attorney as soon as possible. That way your attorney can interview the witnesses while the incident is still fresh in their minds. The longer you let this go, the harder it will be for the witness to describe what they saw.
4. Notify the business owner
You should make the business owner aware of your accident as soon as possible. Filing a report will provide you more evidence that the accident took place on their property so that they cannot deny that fact during proceedings.
If you’re able to do so, file the report from the accident scene on the day that the incident takes place. Sometimes injuries prevent you from doing this, which is understandable, but you don’t want to delay documenting your injuries.
5. Talk to an attorney
As soon as possible, you should discuss the accident with an attorney. This allows your attorney to review and collect evidence and witness testimony quickly. The sooner you move forward with an injury case, the more likely you’ll be to recover financial damages if your injuries lead to medical bills.
Stewart & Stewart is an Indiana law firm providing expert attorneys who can investigate the source of your injuries on a business property and collect evidence to ensure the business pays for their negligence.
Property liability cases are often complicated, and the business owner will work to prove they were not negligent in maintaining the property and keeping it safe for customers. Schedule your free consultation with our team of trusted lawyers now to get started.