It only takes a simple spilled drink or carelessly placed vacuum cord for a fun night out to take a terrible and painful turn. Restaurants in New Orleans are required to exercise a basic duty of care to keep customers safe from harm. When an establishment fails in that duty and engages in negligent behavior, the restaurant may become liable for your damages after an accident. Let’s take a look at what you should—and shouldn’t—do after slipping at a restaurant or other place of business.
Always Take These Steps After Any Slip and Fall Accident
Preserving your ability to recover compensation for covering your costs while healing is paramount. That’s why you need to protect yourself financially and legally by:
- Acquiring any evidence at the scene that you can. For instance, take photos of the circumstances that lead to the fall, such as liquid on the floor, debris in walkways, missing warning signs, and so on. Be sure to also ask for contact information for any servers or customers who witnessed the accident. They may need to be questioned later during your attorney’s investigation, or even testify in court to a jury.
- Reporting the accident to the restaurant manager on duty at the time. Do not give any commentary about the circumstances of the fall or provide any statements that may indicate the fall was your fault. If the manager files a report about the incident, make sure to ask for a copy.
- Seeking medical attention quickly after leaving the restaurant. You may need to have paramedics arrive to help you up, or you could be taken immediately to the emergency room. This step is extremely important not just for your physical health, but also to establish a clear record of your injury. A medical paper trail is vital to showing who is responsible for your injury, as well as valuing your medical damages when seeking compensation.
That last point simply can’t be stressed enough. Even if you don’t have a headache or any noticeable pain, do not skip seeing a doctor after a fall. Internal injuries such as bone fractures, organ damage, a concussion, or a major traumatic brain injury do not always exhibit clear symptoms at the time of the accident. Heading to the ER can prevent life-threatening complications before they can occur, and establish what sort of medical care you may require.
Why You Need to See an Attorney After a Restaurant Fall
After seeing a doctor, your next call should be to a Louisiana personal injury attorney. Besides investigating the accident and finding the liable party, an attorney helps by valuing your damages after the slip and fall.
That’s why you need to make contacting a lawyer a top priority after addressing your medical needs. Your attorney also assists by investigating the root cause of the accident, such as leaving cords in areas of high foot traffic, failing to repair railing, refusing to clean up spills in a timely fashion, or other negligent behaviors.
With that information in hand, your legal representative can identify who is liable and will likely offer a good source of compensation. Unfortunately, the liable party and their insurance provider are unlikely to simply offer you the full amount you deserve in a settlement. That’s why an attorney is crucial to recovering damages like:
- Emotional suffering, physical pain, and lost quality of life stemming from the fall injury
- Hospital bills and other medical expenses for treatment after the restaurant slip and fall
- Income you lost while recovering from a slip and fall, as well as lost earning capacity in situations where the injury leads to permanent disability
- Other work benefits you lost because of the injury, such as benefits, raises, etc
Talk to an Experienced Slip and Fall Lawyer About Your Restaurant Accident
Want to contact an experienced and trial-savvy attorney for help after a New Orleans restaurant slip and fall accident? Our passion is helping injury victims recover the full and fair compensation they deserve. Use our online contact here to provide your basic case details, or call directly to schedule a consultation at 504-500-1111.