When you slip and fall down on someone's property, you may not realize that you have legal rights available to you. In fact, you do not have to assume liability for what happened. It may not even be your fault that you slipped and fell in the first place.
The property owner bears the legal liability for compensating you for your pain and suffering. You can hold this person responsible by retaining an experienced personal injury lawyer after a slip-and-fall accident.
Proving Liability
The person who owns the property may try to blame you for the slip-and-fall accident. He or she may say that you were not paying attention or watching where you were going. This person can also say that your shoes did not have proper traction or that you purposely fell down with the intent of suing him or her.
However, when you have a personal injury lawyer on retainer, you can prove what happened and hold the property owner responsible. Your attorney can also use the state's personal injury laws to point out that the owner has a legal liability to compensate you.
Filing Insurance Claims
Your personal injury lawyer can also file insurance claims on your behalf. He or she can compel the property's owner to hand over his or her insurance information. Your attorney can then file claims to cover any of your expenses that relate to medical treatment, physical rehabilitation or therapy, lost income, and even punitive damages.
By having a lawyer handle these tasks, you avoid having to interact with the insurance company and pursuing your own claims. Your attorney can contact the insurer for you and make sure that your claims are paid out promptly.
Finally, your personal injury lawyer can negotiate any settlement that the insurer tries to offer you. The insurance company may offer a settlement if you plan to file a lawsuit against the property owner. The settlement can act in lieu of any judgment that a court or jury will award to you and be given in exchange for you dropping your lawsuit.
A personal injury lawyer can represent you after a slip-and-fall accident. You do not have to accept liability for what happened. Your attorney can prove that the property owner is responsible for your injuries. He or she can file insurance claims and negotiate a settlement. Contact a law firm like the Steven Chavez Law Firm P.C. to learn more.
