The Do's and Don'ts After a Car Accident

Questions Your Attorney Might Ask You When You Have A Slip And Fall Accident On Newly-Waxed Floors

2 June 2016

Yvonne Russell

Waxing a wood, tile or vinyl floor not only makes the floors shiny and new-looking, it can also cause slips and falls. Despite the increased risk for injury, hotels, banks and retail stores still wax and shine their floors. If you are a guestor visitor of any of these establishments and you slip and fall, consult an attorney. Here are some questions your attorney might ask with regards to your accident. The answers to these questions may determine if he he or she can help you and for which kinds of monetary compensation you can sue.

Did You Seek Medical Help Right Away?

Seeking medical attention, especially when you fall and have pain or blows to your head, back and hips is not only important for catching and treating severe injuries early, but also important to your case. Injuries noted several days to several weeks after your slip and fall could be contributed to something else you did, and not to your slip and fall accident. It may also be argued that you did not seek medical attention sooner because you did not think anything was wrong. While it is not impossible to prove that your injuries were the result of the fall to which you have attributed it, delayed medical attention to your injuries could make the case a little more difficult to prove.

Were There Warning Signs on the Floors?

After the floors have been heavily and newly waxed, the establishment in question should have had floor signs out alerting you and other guests to the slipperiness of the floors. If these signs were not out and clearly visible, they were putting you and other guests' safety in jeopardy. If you cannot recall if there were warning signs on the floors, your attorney may be able to request security camera footage, if applicable, which could help your case. If there is security footage of the incident, it may show whether or not these signs were out and present where you could see them when you walked in the doors or down the aisles. When this footage also backs up your story, then clearly the establishment was at fault or negligent, and you can sue for compensation to cover your medical bills.

Did the Establishment Ask You to Sign Anything?

Sometimes, after an accident and establishment will offer you an ambulance ride to be checked out. They may only offer this after you agree to sign a waiver that states you will not sue them because they provided adequate help and support. Your lawyer may want to know if you signed any sort of document in the bank's/store's/hotel's main office, as it may impede the forward movement of your case until your lawyer can get a copy of that document and read through it. If you did not sign anything, but they provided medical care anyway (e.g., you hit your head and blacked out so they called an ambulance for you), then you may proceed with your case, although there may be some other legal questions to resolve as your case develops.

To learn more, visit a website like http://www.putnamlieb.com. 

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