You may have entered a store to pick up groceries, buy clothes, or purchase household goods when suddenly your feet slipped out from underneath you, and down you went. While you know you fell, you are not sure how you got there. You then noticed the wet surface that caused you to come face to face with the floor.
After you find yourself on the ground, you may have one of two instincts:
- Picking yourself up, brushing yourself off, and pretending nothing happened, or
- Marching up to the store manager and chewing him or her out
While these reactions are normal to have, what you do after a Norcross slip and fall accident makes a difference. This is why our Georgia premises liability lawyers want you to know what to do and how to work with the store for optimal recovery.
After a slip and fall accident at a public store in Georgia, you will want to do the following three things:
- Report your accident to the store manager. When you report your accident to the manager of the store, don’t yell or be nasty. On the other hand, you don’t want to be a pushover, apologize, or place blame on yourself. Stick to the facts when reporting your slip and fall. Let the manager know that there were no caution signs warning you of the dangerous flooring condition and that you have witnesses attesting to this fact. Of course, you don’t want to lie or threaten the manager. This is why it is best to actually get the contact information of witnesses who may have seen you fall.
- Request a copy of the incident report. After you report your Norcross slip and fall accident, the store manager should make note of your accident in their logs. This is typically referred to as an incident report. Ask the store manager for a copy of this report. If the manager won’t give you a copy of the report, take down that person’s name and any other employee’s name that was there or involved in the conversation. Additionally, if the manager is making you sign the report, read it carefully. Don’t sign anything that will minimize their legal liability.
- Refrain from giving a recorded statement or accepting a settlement without speaking with an attorney first. Stores and their insurance companies will want you to give them a recorded statement so that they use some of your words against you. You may not intend to, but something you say could lower their liability and your settlement offer. For this reason, speak with an attorney first before giving the insurance company a recorded statement or signing any paperwork or settlement offer.
For help determining how much your case is truly worth or for help dealing with the store or their insurance company, call a skilled Gwinnett County slip and fall lawyer at Shane Smith Law today at (980) 246-2656 for a free consultation.