After this weekend's heavy snow and this past week's below-freezing temperatures, slip and fall accidents in Philadelphia are on the rise. If you are looking for personal injury legal advice, a Philadelphia personal injury attorney can help. There are actions victims can take after a bad slip to help their case.
The number one mistake people make after an injury has happened is that it is not reported to the store or place of business as soon as, or shortly after, an accident happens. In some cases if the injured person waits over a week or longer, the case may be more difficult to litigate.
The reason the slip and fall injury report must be filed soon after an accident is because the lawyer must prove in court that the business or property owner had prior knowledge of the hazard. For example, if a slip occurs on an ice patch on a sidewalk in Philadelphia, contrary to popular belief, the city is not liable for the upkeep of sidewalks and walkways. Rather, the businesses and/or property owners bordering the sidewalk where the accident has happened may be liable by not properly maintaining these thoroughfares.
However, a patch of ice on the sidewalk is not necessarily a liability issue for the business owner either, depending on the time of day or the weather condition of the entire area that day. Ephemeral conditions such as ice patches can be difficult to prove otherwise, because even the best personal injury attorney must convince the court that the property owner had prior knowledge (or "notice") of the ice hazard.
By filing a report quickly, as well as consulting a personal injury attorney, the time and conditions are recorded legally. Personal injury lawyers have extensive experience with winter slip and fall cases, and can quickly provide legal advice. Don't wait to get savvy legal advice and then lose your right for injury compensation by not informing the injury location business owner quickly.
