When we go out to eat, we expect to have an enjoyable meal without any concern for injury. Unfortunately, injuries in restaurants are more common that one may think. With constant spills from drinks and food, slip and falls are something we should all be wary of when we frequent a restaurant. If you are in a slip and fall accident at a small, local restaurant and sustain injuries, it’s important to know what you can do to help pay for any damage or lost wages you incur due to prolonged injury.
The first thing you will need to do is prove negligence. An experienced slip and fall attorney will know the right questions to ask to ensure that the restaurant is to blame for your slip and fall. To prove negligence, you must be able to confirm that the restaurant did not do what they could to make sure their customers were safe. In restaurants, proving negligence can be a bit tricky. A slippery floor may have caused your injury, but that doesn’t automatically mean that the restaurant was negligent by allowing their floor to be slippery. In this case, you must prove that the floor was slippery for a long period of time, and that the restaurant knew this but failed to clean up the mess or warn customers of the dangerous area. You must also know exactly what caused you to slip—so never tell a manager or waiter that you are unsure why you fell, it could come back to hurt you later on should you pursue a case.
To help establish negligence before an attorney or insurance company is involved, try to inspect the area where you fell. Take pictures of a slippery or wet floor and the surrounding area to prove that there was no signage to warn you of potential danger. You may also want to try to get witnesses to back up your claim. Write down any names and addresses of fellow diners who can corroborate your story. It’s also extremely important to ask for a manager and make sure the restaurant is aware that you feel and sustained injuries. If you leave without speaking with a manager, it will be harder to prove negligence and make a case.
If your injuries are not life-threatening, you can wait to seek medical attention until after the above is complete. Once you get to the hospital, keep a record of any injuries you sustained and any treatments you are prescribed.
After these steps are completed, an experienced slip and fall attorney will take the lead. They will use all the information you gathered from the scene and work with the restaurants insurance company, or attorney should they have one, to make sure you get compensation for any of the injuries you suffered as a result of your slip and fall. If you were involved in a slip in fall accident at a local Indianapolis restaurant, get the best attorneys on your side. The staff at Stewart & Stewart have handled many slip and fall cases and know the best way to get full compensation for their clients. Contact them today by calling 1-800-33-33-LAW or visiting their website.