When life takes a turn for the worst, and you are left reeling from the bills that pile because of the time it takes to recover, you may feel helpless. Fortunately, the law allows for victims who sustain injuries from others to take action against those negligent parties. Slip and falls can lead to severe injuries, and with the help of a skilled attorney, you could bring your claim to court and work to recover Glastonbury slip and fall damages. Call today and set up a consultation with a dedicated slip and fall lawyer.
Steps Victims Could Take to Improve Recovery
To work towards maximizing their recoverable slip and fall damages, injured Glastonbury victims in a slip and fall accident should get medical treatment as soon as possible. If victims are provided with treatment recommendations by their doctors, they need to follow their doctor’s advice. If they do not, that could affect the outcome of their case because it opens up arguments that they are not doing what they should be doing to get better and that they are actually making their damages worse because they are not compliant with treatment.
Types of Compensation in Slip and Fall Cases
The compensation, also known as damages, in a slip and fall case are the same as they are in any Glastonbury injury case. These are called economic and non-economic damages, and they include medical bills, any lost time from work, and other forms of tangible losses. The more difficult category is non-economic damages, which includes the pain of what that person has been through. If a victim has fallen and needs five surgeries to get through and to recover from what that person has gone through, that is going to cost more than someone who just sprained or twisted an ankle.
In some cases, the extent of the economic damages corresponds to the increase of non-economic damages. If victims are going to need surgeries in the future, fear of that surgery is something that is recoverable. If they have a permanent injury or permanent limitation, similar to those injuries in traumatic brain injury cases, the loss of the ability to do activities they used to do is recoverable.
Punitive Damages in Slip and Fall Cases
Punitive damages are rarely awarded in slip and fall cases. Typically, punitive damages are reserved for extreme conduct or conduct that is intentional. If someone pushes someone, there might be grounds for these recoverable damages, but rarely in a slip and fall context are they awarded. However, one way that skilled lawyers could work punitive damages into a case is through the issue of destruction of evidence. An accomplished lawyer gets involved early and asks for any video or any conditions to be preserved so that victims and their attorneys could prove their cases. Importantly, there are separate claims for spoliation of evidence in Connecticut. This could make parties liable for punitive damages because they have attempted to not preserve asked for evidence.
How an Attorney Could Act on Behalf of a Victim
In a slip and fall case, a lawyer is involved in investigating the claim, interviewing witnesses, contacting the insurance company, and acting as a go-between for medical providers and creditors who may be looking to collect outstanding medical bills. They work as an advocate for the claimant when the lawsuit is filed.
Initially, attorneys approach these cases by investigating early. They view these cases as something that needs to be substantiated. An attorney often looks for whether or not the conditions of the slip and fall was something that existed for a period of time or was created by the defendant. This information is critical to a Glastonbury slip and fall case and needs to be collected to recover damages.
One of the first things a lawyer often tries to identify is the role that comparative negligence plays. If a victim was intoxicated and rushing and they fell and were hurt, that is obviously going to be a difficult case for attorneys because more likely than not, a jury could find that victim more responsible than the defendant for their injuries. However, it is still valuable for victims to have an attorney to try and substantiate their claim in court.
An Attorney Could Help Recover Slip and Fall Damages in Glastonbury
The effects of a slip and fall accident are often deceptive to those who have never sustained an injury in the same manner. A displaced hip, a contusion of the brain, a sprained ankle could all impact a victim’s life in varying degrees. If you suffered injuries due to another person’s negligence, you may want to consider retaining the services of an attorney who could help you recover Glastonbury slip and fall damages. Reach out to an attorney today.
