Port St. Lucie Slip and Fall Lawyers

At Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath, your slip-and-fall lawyer will advocate relentlessly on your behalf with the skills and experience that set us apart. If you would like a free review of your case, please use our online contact form or call (561) 655-1990.

Steps to take after a slip and fall

We know your world has been turned upside down, but if you remain calm and follow these tips, you’ll have a much better chance of finding the justice you have coming.

1. Seek medical care 

Receiving medical care immediately following an accident is imperative to your health. The adrenaline and shock of the accident can mask symptoms of injuries, even ones that are very serious. Delaying medical treatment can cause some injuries to worsen and cause significant damage that could’ve been prevented had you gone to the doctor right away.

In addition to endangering your physical health by not seeking medical care, you’ll also make it much harder for your team of slip-and-fall lawyers to help you obtain full and fair compensation. The insurer will claim that you aren’t as injured as you claim since you didn’t get medical attention right away, or they’ll claim that you were injured by something or someone else and are simply trying to get a paycheck.

2. Report the incident 

This is also going to be critical if you’re going to achieve a positive outcome in your case. Make a written report to the property manager or owner, and keep a copy for yourself. You don’t want to take a risk that the at-fault party will do something unethical like trying to alter your report. If they know you have a copy, there’s less of a risk of that happening.

3. Gather evidence 

This might be difficult for you to do, but if it’s at all possible, take pictures and videos of the scene of the accident. You might have slipped on some liquid that the property failed to clean, or there was some sort of obstruction you tripped over. Pictures could show that no one bothered to warn you of the potential risk, and that failure to warn could be ample evidence of their negligence with could help you win your case.

If there were any witnesses, get their contact information. Just get the basics – their phone number, name, and email address, and tell them that someone will be reaching out to them to get their statement. 

4. Connect with a lawyer

As important as getting medical help is, hiring a team of skilled slip-and-fall lawyers is just as vital. Hiring an attorney might seem stressful, especially while you’re recovering, but the experienced Florida slip and fall lawyers at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath are here to make your recovery easier.  

We’ll launch a thorough investigation to obtain additional information and evidence before it disappears, such as security camera footage that records over itself every 30 days. Your lawyer can also subpoena relevant records with ease, will obtain witness statements, and might be able to help you get the necessary follow-up medical care you didn’t know you needed at no out-of-pocket costs upfront. The faster you act, the better the chances you’ll get the proof you need.

Make sure you file a claim on time

There’s a statute of limitations for all personal injury cases, including one for a slip and fall. This means you have a certain amount of time – two years – from when you were hurt to file a lawsuit. If you let that time limit expire without taking any action, you’ll no longer have any legal recourse and you’ll be on your own when it comes to paying for your medical bills and other accident-related expenses.

Again, the faster you act, the earlier the investigation into the accident can start, and the higher the likelihood that your lawyer will be able to gather solid evidence to support you and obtain the full compensation you’re entitled to.

Potential damages you can claim

In a personal injury claim, the victim collects compensation for their financial losses associated with the accident — these are called damages. There are two main types of damages: economic and non-economic. 

Economic damages

These are losses that are said to be “tangible” because they’re easy to prove and calculate. One of the most common economic damages collected are current and future medical expenses such as the care you received immediately following the accident, follow-up care, prescriptions, rehabilitation, and more. 

The future medical expenses you can claim will be supported by the testimony of a medical expert witness who will state the type of medical care you’ll need in the future such as appointments, surgeries, rehabilitation, etc. You’ll also be able to collect the lost wages and work benefits from the time you were out of work due to your injury.

Your attorney will also fight to obtain the future earnings you may lose if your injury prevents you from returning to work in the same capacity and you must now take a lower-paying job or if you’re unable to return to work at all.

Non-economic damages

While economic damages are tangible, non-economic damages are subjective and require a skilled personal injury attorney to prove that you’ve suffered those losses and that you’re entitled to compensation for them.

It’s hard to place a dollar value – as callous as that might sound – on issues like pain and suffering or mental trauma, but they’re still real damages you’ve suffered even if they don’t lend themselves to easy calculations. Our experienced slip and fall lawyers can help you obtain damages for:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional and mental trauma
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• And more

We’ll work to obtain maximum compensation on your behalf

For more than 35 years, the Port St. Lucie slip and fall lawyers with Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath have helped our clients receive billions of dollars in settlement and jury awards. Our law firm is staffed with legal experts who aren’t afraid of formidable opposition. 

No reputable attorney can promise or guarantee that you’ll receive a certain amount of money in your slip-and-fall case, especially in a consultation. There’s simply no way that a lawyer can accurately predict what kind of compensation you’ll receive in your settlement without knowing all the facts and seeing the evidence. Although we can’t promise you a specific amount, we won’t rest until we make those responsible for your suffering pay for their negligence and obtain the damages you deserve.

The smart way to deal with insurance after a slip and fall

An insurance adjuster will contact you shortly after your accident to obtain your statement and gather information that they can use against you later to deny or reduce your claim. They might appear sympathetic and concerned about you, however, the only thing they’re truly concerned about is protecting their employer’s bottom line.

The adjuster will try to trick you into saying something wrong, such as admitting fault or that you had a prior injury, which will put them on the fast track of denying your claim.

It’s recommended that you don’t give the adjuster any information other than the date, time, and location of the accident and the name, phone number, and email address of your personal injury attorney, then refer all other questions to your attorney. 

Cost of hiring a slip-and-fall lawyer

You’ve already got enough on your plate recovering from the injury you’ve suffered due to someone else’s negligence, so we believe that you shouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket for your legal representation, too. When you hire the slip-and-fall lawyers with Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath, you won’t have to worry about legal fees.

We work on a contingency basis which means that we cover all of the costs associated with your legal representation such as the investigation, discovery costs, filing fees, and any other expenses. If you win your case, we’ll receive a percentage of your award. If you don’t win, we won’t receive anything. This allows you to focus on your recovery and have complete peace of mind.

How our Port St. Lucie slip and fall lawyers can help

At Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath, our team of attorneys have a history of defeating some of the largest insurance companies in the country both as skilled negotiators and zealous litigators if it must be taken to court. 

To learn more about how one of our Port St. Lucie personal injury lawyers can help you following a slip-and-fall accident, schedule your free consultation today by calling (561) 655-1990.