Pocatello Slip-and-Fall Injury Attorney

In our society, we are constantly on the move. We take our kids to soccer practices, we run to the store, and we shop for clothes. When it comes to shopping malls, parking lots, and large stores, we rely on the owners to make sure that their properties are in reasonably safe condition so that we can avoid slipping and falling. Racine Olson has been handling claims where people have slipped and fallen since 1940. Our office in Pocatello has the attorneys with the expertise the handle these sorts of claims.

Often we tend to trivialize slip-and-fall injuries. However, they can have serious effects on our lives. For instance, consider stairwells that are missing handrails, have unlit stairs, or construction defects. These can cause a fall that has catastrophic effects on an individual. Such a fall could lead to serious head trauma from a person slamming their head after falling backward. We have known people that have had injured optic nerves, hips, and broken bones due to the fact that the owner of the premises had not used reasonable care in ensuring that the property was safe.

We have pointed out in other webpages that often the law can be used to establish that a defendant was negligent. This is called negligence per se. There are laws that govern how buildings should be built and stairways should be maintained. Those laws are called the Uniform Building Code. These building codes set forth standards which establish how a building should be constructed. The Idaho Supreme Court has explained that the Uniform Building Code can be used to establish negligence, often called negligence per se.

It is helpful to use negligence per se because this means that the injured person does not need to show negligence in the traditional sense. Rather, the injured party merely has to establish that the statute was violated.

Slip-and-fall accidents happen all the time under many different conditions. For instance, they may happen as a result of water on the floor of a store that goes unseen by the customer and unaddressed by the owner. Other slip-and-falls occur when customers slip and fall on the ice during the wintertime. Because slip-and-fall accidents are usually unique to the circumstances, it is important to hire an experienced attorney who knows the proper experts to hire to make your claim the best possible.

Regardless of the type of accident, it is important for you to keep as much evidence as you can. For instance, if someone is with you when you fall, ask them to take photographs of the area where you fell and what it looks like. In addition, photographs could be taken of clothing, shoes that were worn at the time of the accident, and the actual injury. If there were witnesses, get their telephone numbers and addresses.

Often stores will have you fill out an accident report. Don’t worry about it. Go ahead and fill it out; be honest. This will allow you to tell your side of the story. In addition, you could ask the store to preserve any camera footage that they may have of the accident.

Make sure that you go and take care of yourself. If you need to go to the hospital, go to the hospital. If you need to go to the doctor, go to the doctor. Avoid insurance companies. Often immediately following an accident, an insurance company will immediately try to make a quick settlement or have you give a statement. Avoid these things. Remember, the insurance company is out for their own good, not yours. We look forward to seeing you. Problem solved.