If you are injured at your workplace, you may have the right to collect workers' compensation benefits, and you may also have the right to sue. If you slipped and fell on the property of your employer, the accident will most likely be considered a work-related injury, but if you slipped and fell because of a third-party, you may also have the right to sue this person. Here are three things to understand about slip and fall cases that occur at the workplace.
What Caused You To Slip And Fall?
The first thing to look at is the reason you slipped. If you slipped for absolutely no reason at all and incurred injuries, you may still be able to consider this a work-related injury; however, your employer may fight this. If you slipped because the floor was slippery or uneven, it would be easy to prove that your employer was at fault.
There is another situation to consider, though. If a third-party vendor was making a delivery that contained materials and supplies, this vendor might be held responsible for your slip. This would only be the case if the vendor dropped or spilled something on the floor. For example, if the vendor was delivering motor oil to your workplace and some leaked on the floor, you might be able to hold the vendor accountable for the injuries.
What Should You Do First?
The first thing to do after an accident occurs at work is file a report with the office personnel. This report should document the date, time, and events. It should clearly state what happened from your perspective, and it should include the names of witnesses that saw the accident.
If possible, you may also want to take pictures of the area where it happened. This would be vital if you slipped and fell because of a slippery liquid on the floor. In addition, make sure you talk to the witnesses when it happens so they can also offer input on the situation.
The next thing to do is file a claim with the workers' compensation insurance company your employer uses. When this happens, the insurance company will review the situation and determine whether or not to approve your benefits. If they approve the benefits, you might be satisfied with the results. If you are denied or if you are not satisfied with the results, you may want to take this situation one step further.
Should You Hire An Attorney?
Talking to an attorney that specializes in slip and fall cases is probably a good idea, even if you do not decide to file a lawsuit. Your attorney's job is to review the details and facts of the case. The attorney will then decide what route to take. This could be for you to do nothing. If the injuries were minor and there is not a lot of evidence that someone else is at fault, you might be better off just dropping the case.
If your attorney discovers that there is enough evidence to pursue charges against your employer or against the third-party vendor, he or she might suggest filing a lawsuit against one of these parties or both.
To win a slip and fall case, you must have proof that injuries occurred from the fall, and you must be able to prove negligence on the part of the other person.
Slip and fall accidents can leave individuals with major injuries. If you are suffering from a bad injury that happened at work from a slip and fall incident, you should consider contacting a lawyer that specializes in slip and fall cases, such as one from Putnam Lieb.
