A public slip-and-fall can be a very embarrassing experience. Depending on the location and the witnesses present, a person may experience intense humiliation when they fall at a business. Unfortunately, the surprise people experience when they fall and the embarrassment that follows their shock can lead to them making mistakes that might put them at a significant disadvantage later.
Although no one ever plans to get hurt when visiting a business, slip-and-fall scenarios occur quite regularly and can sometimes even send people to the hospital. Those who have a plan for dealing with such incidents will be less likely to make mistakes that could cause them challenges or significant setbacks in the future.
Leaving without saying anything
Someone who has recently fallen might try to brush themselves off and finish their shopping trip. When someone takes the time to report a slip-and-fall to the manager on duty, they help ensure that there will be an official record of what happened so that they can prove that they fell at that business previously. They may also want to use their mobile phone to take pictures of what caused them to slip.
Forgoing medical treatment
A surprising number of people who slip and fall in public locations don’t go see a doctor afterward even though they might have serious injuries. People may not understand how easy it is to overlook the early warning signs of a brain injury, or they might assume that a broken bone or soft tissue injury would be easy to identify right after it occurs. The sooner someone sees a doctor after a slip-and-fall, the easier it is to prove that the injuries resulted from the incident at the business.
Using personal insurance instead of the business’s
Most retail establishments and other businesses open to the public carry different types of insurance, including premises liability insurance. Making use of that coverage sometimes requires filing a lawsuit. People are often averse to initiating litigation, but doing so might be the most reasonable response to a slip-and-fall caused by poorly maintained business facilities. An individual should not have to cover coinsurance or use all of their paid time off because they got hurt at someone else’s property due to negligent business practices.
Ultimately, avoiding the mistakes that people commonly make after slip-and-falls can help someone hold the right party accountable for their injuries.
