Michael F. Niznik

Personal injury law encompasses car accidents, slip and falls, and many other "types" of injuries. The most common factor in our clients' personal injury cases is that they did not cause the injury - rather, it is the negligence of a business or person that led them to suffer. If you are injured and the injury was not your fault, here are six things that you should do to assist in the investigation of your case.

 

1. Seek medical attention immediately.  When an injury occurs, your first reaction is often to try to “walk it off.” You may feel jittery and your extremities may buzz. This is normal and is due to a release of adrenaline. During the trauma, you may have experienced significant injury, including broken bones or internal injuries. Due to the release of adrenaline, you may not realize the extent of your injury immediately. This is why medical attention is so important. A medical professional’s assessment of your injury is necessary to evaluate the extent of your injury and to prevent further medical complications.

2. Locate what caused you to be injured.  Injuries occur for a reason. A slip and fall can occur because of a bunched up carpet; a car accident can be caused by the negligence of a driver. If possible, inspect the area where you were injured, and write down a description of your injury and cause as soon as possible.

3. Take pictures.  Take a lot of pictures from many different angles. And from many different distances. If possible, add time and date stamps to your pictures. You never know what angle may assist an attorney in proving your case.  You also never know what may be moved, fixed, or changed after the owner of the property is alerted to your injury.

4. Identify potential witnesses.  Ask those around you if they saw the accident occur. Take down their names, addresses and phone numbers and provide that information to your attorney. Your attorney will be able to follow up with those witnesses and subpoena their testimony if needed.

5. Follow protocol.  Many big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target have defined procedures to report an accident. Follow these procedures. Notify a store employee of your injury immediately and fill out any necessary paperwork as soon as possible.

6. Contact an attorney.  Contacting an attorney at the earliest possible moment allows you to get the maximum money for your injury. If an injury occurs, you may be contacted by the property’s insurance adjuster who is seeking to settle the case for a small amount of money. Do not discuss the facts of the case with them. The adjuster often uses these initial phone calls to devalue a case and seek to change the narrative of the events. Contact an attorney to handle the adjusters at the earliest possible moment. Philadelphia personal injury attorney Michael F. Niznik works on a contingent basis. That means that we do not charge any money to take on an injury case. We obtain our fee through any settlement with the property owner’s insurance company. If our firm does not recover money for you, we do not get paid.

 

If you or someone you know is the victim of an accident, contact Philadelphia personal injury lawyer Michael F. Niznik for a free consultation. We can be reached 24/7 at 267-589-0601 or online at www.NiznikLaw.com.

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