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Request A Call HereMaybe you or someone you know has taken a spill at an office building; most of you may have dusted yourselves off and kept on moving to your destination in true New Yorker fashion, but wait! What happens the next day when you begin to feel the aches and pains associated with that fall? It's important for you to know your rights as well as what remedies may be available to you. First, lets talk about what you need to do after a fall in an office building so that you can better protect yourself. Continue reading more articles on the subject of slip and falls, provided by our attorneys at Banville Law.
1.Get Help Immediately
The very first thing that you need to do is call for help, once you have taken a fall, it is vital that you call 911 for assistance. No matter how old you are, or how quickly you believe that you can bounce back from a fall, you really have no way of knowing at the moment of a slip and fall, how it will affect you in the hours and days to come. Let the experts come to your aid and provide you with medical assistance as you will not immediately know the extent of your injuries at this point.
2. Documentation
The second most vital step that you need to take after falling in an office building is documenting your fall. Again, there is no way to know the extent of the damage from a fall and therefore you need to protect yourself in the event of costly medical care, medical bills or lost wages. While you wait for the professionals, you will need to use the technology that never leaves your side. Your cell phone will come in handy at this time. It's a good idea to change the settings on your phone to reflect the time and date stamp, this will allow you to take the necessary photographs and recordings of where you have fallen.
3. Premises Liability
In New York, State Public and Private Owners and or Occupants of an Office Building are responsible for unsafe conditions, this is known as Premises Liability. Office Building Owners or Occupants can easily clean up a spill or make a repair following your fall, later they will be documenting how well kept the Office Building is and you will have a tough time proving that your fall was a result of negligence on the Office Building's part. So, be sure to take photographs and recordings of any and all of the unsafe conditions that led to your fall; whether it's a cracked floor, wet floor, staircase or loose banister, get up close and personal with those areas on your smartphone. In addition, you might find someone willing to photograph and record your injuries at the scene for you. If possible photograph and record your injuries with the same time and date stamping that you used when documenting the unsafe conditions.
4. Witnesses
The National Floor Institute reports that falls account for over 8 million hospital and emergency room visits, further representing the leading causes of visits at 21.3%. Slips and falls also account for over 1 million visits to Hospitals and Emergency rooms or 12% of the total falls. With most courts leaving the burden of proof on you, you need to be extremely cautious, careful and prepared to protect yourself and your future health. Because of the latter, it is important that you do reach out to any witnesses in the area and take down their information, including telephone numbers and email addresses.
It's never a bad idea to reach out to a professional New York Personal Injury attorney who specializes in premises liability and who knows the law and how to protect and inform you. A knowledgeable attorney will help you navigate how to pursue your slip and fall lawsuit so that you can get compensation for lost wages, medical expenses incurred after the fall and other issues that resulted after the fall.
Have you wondered how much is my slip & fall case worth? Learn here.
