You’re suffering from a slip and fall injury. Perhaps you were out and about in Portland, shopping at the mall or grocery store, or maybe you were at the local park when you tripped and fell. You may have been at a friend’s home when you stumbled on their porch and got injured. No matter what the circumstances are surrounding your injury, it’s time to learn all about slip and falls so you can decide what to do next.
Here’s some critical information to know about slip and fall injuries in Portland.
What Is a Slip and Fall?
A slip and fall could mean that you slipped and fell and got hurt, whether you were in a public or private place. It could also include tripping or otherwise stumbling over something and then experiencing an injury.
Common places where slip and falls happen include in private residences, shopping malls, retail stores, parking lots, sidewalks, offices, porches, decks, and construction sites. Wet floors, debris on floors, cracked sidewalks or streets, bad lighting, and poorly constructed handrails could be to blame for a slip and fall. You could experience injuries like back pain, broken bones, fractures, a broken wrist, and a spinal cord injury, to name a few. The majority of cases are not severe, but a slip and fall could be serious if it happened on a construction site or in otherwise dangerous place.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall
After you slip and fall in Portland, it’s crucial that you gather proof of what happened. Make a report with the store owner/property manager, take photographs of the scene of the accident, your visible injuries, and damage to your belongings, and note the locations of nearby video cameras. Also, take down witness statements and ask witnesses for their contact information in case you need to follow up later on. If the responsible party offers you cash on the spot not to make a claim, don’t take it – you won’t be able to collect more later on. It’s just going to hurt your case.
After you finish up at the scene, go to a hospital for treatment and get X-rays to check for internal damage. Stay on top of your treatment and follow your doctor’s orders. You may need to go in for more appointments, take medication, use medical equipment, get surgery, etc. Do what it takes to fully recover.
Connecting With a Personal Injury Lawyer
A personal injury lawyer will work on contingency for you, which means they’ll only charge you a fee if they can get you a proper settlement. They will negotiate with the insurance company to get you the settlement you deserve. If you rely on the insurance company, they will give you a low settlement at the most. Oftentimes, they try to get away with offering no settlement.
You shouldn’t have to accept that. Instead, get in touch with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Portland for help.
Contact Zbinden & Curtis Today
Zbinden & Curtis, a Portland personal injury law firm, cares about accident victims, and we’re ready to assist you if you were in a slip and fall accident in Portland. We fight tooth and nail for our clients to get them the settlement they deserve in their time of need. Contact us today to learn more by calling (503) 287-5000 or contacting us on our website for a free case evaluation. We look forward to assisting you.
