Spilled water, damaged flooring, upturned rugs and other hazards are common in shopping centers around East Orange. Even if you are both diligent and careful, you may slip and injure yourself.
Slip-and-fall accidents have the potential to be quite serious. In fact, head trauma, nerve damage, broken bones and other life-changing injuries are common during falls. If a shopkeeper’s negligence or intentional misconduct caused your injuries, you may be able to pursue compensation. Documenting the accident scene is essential. Here are some tips on photographing your slip-and-fall accident.
Photographing the scene
After a slip-and-fall accident, it is important to write down your account of how the accident happened. To supplement your narrative, you should also take photographs of relevant subjects right away, as long as doing so does not put you in harm’s way. These include the following:
- The entire space
- Flooring defects
- Tripping or slipping hazards
- Posted signs
Photographing your injuries
Slip-and-fall injuries may not appear immediately after the accident. It is vital for you to seek emergency medical care following a fall. For your potential claim, you want to take some photographs of any visible injuries such as cuts and bruises. Similarly, you should remember to photograph your injuries during the recovery process.
Photographing other matters
Every slip-and-fall situation is unique. Therefore, there may be other matters you need to photograph to present a complete picture of your injury. For example, you may need to take pictures of the shoes or clothing you were wearing at the time of the accident to show that these did not create the slipping or tripping hazard. If the store manager or owner does not provide you with a copy of the accident report he or she created, you will want to take a picture of the original for your records.
By providing photographic evidence of your slip-and-fall accident, you likely boost your odds of receiving fair compensation from whoever contributed to your injuries.