No one anticipates being injured while shopping. However, severe accidents and injuries can arise due to negligence. When the appropriate parties fail to uphold their legal duty of maintaining safe premises, they can be held liable for any damages that occur as a direct result of their negligence. Injured parties sometimes don’t want to make much of a fuss about the incident, especially if they think their injuries are minor. Regardless of the severity of your injuries, you must take the necessary steps to safeguard your rights if you intend to pursue legal action to recover monetary compensation for your damages. This includes filing a store incident report. If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall accident in a store, contact an experienced Monmouth County Slip and Fall Lawyer who can help you navigate your legal options. Keep reading to learn the importance of filing a store incident report after an accident.
Should I file an incident report after an accident in a store?
Stores owe everyone that enters their premises a duty of care. Essentially, they must maintain a safe environment to prevent accidents and injuries. This means if there are any hazardous property conditions, the appropriate parties must fix them within a reasonable timeframe. If they fail, they can be held liable for any damages resulting from their negligence.
Following a slip-and-fall accident in a store, it is critical to notify the store manager of the incident. This will ensure the necessary measures are taken to remedy any hazardous property conditions to prevent similar accidents in the future. After informing the appropriate parties of the incident, you must ask the store manager to file an incident report.
In a premises liability case, you will be burdened with proving the store’s negligence directly caused your injuries. To do this, you must have sufficient evidence that corroborates your claim. A store incident report will document that you were injured in the store. It will preserve evidence of the incident as the report will include critical details, such as the date, the time the accident occurred, the area’s condition, and witnesses’ contact information. When completing an incident report, you can give specific details about what caused your fall. However, it would be best if you were careful about what you say, as you may inadvertently take the blame for the incident. This can hinder your ability to recover compensation for your damages, as the store can use this information against you to minimize their liability for your injuries. Therefore, always stick to the facts.
After filing a store incident report, you must ask the store for a copy of the report. The store does not have to provide a copy of the report. However, you can still take a picture of the report. This is imperative to ensure the store does not alter the information to minimize its liability. If you have been injured in a store due to negligence, contact an adept Monmouth County slip and fall lawyer. At the Falcon Law Firm, LLC, we are committed to helping our clients seek reasonable compensation for their damages.
