Protecting Evidence In Your Slip And Fall Case In Port Charlotte
Corbin Sutter
Premises Liability
A Port Charlotte slip and fall accident can happen at any time. If you wish to pursue a claim for your injuries after a slip and fall accident, you’ll need evidence to back it up. A strong case requires strong evidence, and this may take some evidence preservation if you’ve been in an accident in a store, on a public street, or on another local Port Charlotte property. Failure to protect your case with evidence preservation may result in your claim being lessened or denied entirely. Protecting Your Physical Evidence
The first step in evidence preservation you should take is protecting your physical evidence. If you’ve been in a slip and fall accident in Port Charlotte, you were likely wearing pants, a shirt, shoes, maybe a jacket, perhaps a hat. The clothing you had on when the accident occurred is crucial evidence for your case. Jeans with a tear in the knee, or a shirt with a bloodstain serves as proof of your accident and the injuries you’ve sustained.
After you’ve been in an accident, make sure to preserve the clothing you were wearing and place it in a secured plastic bag. The bag will protect any relevant staining, tears, or other damage while keeping your clothes at the ready should you need them to back up your injury claim.
Even if your shoes were undamaged in the slip and fall, it’s important to preserve these as well. Don’t wear the shoes after the accident, and instead place them with your accident clothing. The shoes will be checked not just for damage, but for tread and to see just what type of shoes you were wearing when you fell. An insurance provider may try to say that the accident was caused by unsafe footwear or bare tread, and your shoes can serve as evidence to disprove that claim.
Collect Witnesses As Soon As Possible
Witnesses are another critical piece of evidence for your slip and fall case. If you suffered a slip and fall in a public space, collecting witness information after the fact can be difficult. The witnesses to your accident can write statements that disclose exactly what they saw, providing third-party accounts of the accident that all correlate with one another.
Anyone who helps you at the time of the accident, it pays to ask for their name and contact details just in case you need their statement when you make a claim later on.
Take Photos Of The Scene
Taking photos of the scene is another key part of evidence preservation. For instance, if you slipped and fell on a wet floor, that floor may not be wet when you return to the scene of the injury. If you tripped on debris, that debris may be picked up quickly after your accident has occurred. If you’re able, take photos of how the scene looked at the time of the accident and all relevant pieces of the puzzle.
In some instances, you may be too injured to take photos of the scene as it stands on the day of the accident. In these situations, return to the scene as soon as possible and take photos of where the incident took place. If you’re in the hospital, ask a friend or loved one to return to the scene to take photos for you.
Where Your Personal Injury Lawyer Comes Into Play
Your personal injury lawyer in Port Charlotte can help you to preserve and protect all of the evidence you’ll need to back up your slip and fall injury claim. They’ll let you know what evidence you need, what to do if you’ve missed the opportunity to collect certain pieces of evidence, and how your claims process is likely to go. If you’ve been in a slip and fall accident and you’d like to learn more, contact us at AllInjuriesLawFirm.com today.