In Round Rock, TX, you shouldn’t have to watch your every step when you’re out in public, visit a business, or go to someone else’s home. You should be able to trust that the owner of the premises has taken the necessary steps to remove any potential threats to your safety, like slip and fall hazards or dangerous dogs.
However, not all owners in Round Rock take the duty to maintain their premises in a reasonably safe condition seriously. That’s when accidents happen. As the victim of a premises liability accident, you may have the right to take legal action against the owner to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost income, disability, and the pain and suffering you’ve experienced because of their negligence.
Needless to say, the things you do after your Round Rock premises liability accident can be critically important to the success of your personal injury case.
Here’s what you should (and shouldn’t) do after a premises liability accident in Round Rock on someone else’s property.
Report the Accident to the Owner or Property Manager Right Away
Whether you’ve slipped and fallen, been struck by falling merchandise, gotten hurt on a roller coaster or another amusement park ride, or been bitten by a dangerous dog, it’s important to report your accident to the owner or property manager as soon as you can.
Make sure they make a formal record of the incident and record relevant details, including the time, location, cause of the accident, and other critical information.
If the accident occurred on public property, call the police so that an officer can be dispatched to the scene to complete an accident report.
The accident report can be a valuable piece of evidence when you file a premises liability lawsuit in the future, providing your Round Rock attorney with important insight into what happened and what other information might be helpful as they build your case.
Document the Scene of Your Premises Liability Accident
Don’t rely on the property owner to document the scene or make note of what could be helpful evidence. If you’re not severely injured, take a moment to document the scene for yourself.
Take pictures of where the accident happened, what was involved in the accident, and anything that could help to paint a bigger picture for your lawyer.
For example, if you fell because of a slippery floor in a grocery store, take a picture of the floor and the surrounding area. If there was no warning that the floor was slick, make sure your pictures capture the lack of signage or employees posted at the location where you slipped and fell.
Seek Prompt Medical Attention
The sooner you get to the hospital for a thorough medical evaluation, the better. You’ll need to be able to establish a causal link between your premises liability accident and your injuries. The more time that passes by, the harder it gets to prove that causal link.
Further, seeking prompt medical treatment shows that you’ve taken steps to mitigate your damages, which can be important if the property owner tries to argue that you bear some responsibility for the severity of your injuries.
If you have a medical record to back up your claim, it’ll be easier to recover compensation to help with your medical bills, offset your lost wages while you recover, and ease your pain and suffering as you fight to get your life back on track.
Don’t Admit Fault or Make Statements to the Insurance Company
The owner of the premises could try to blame you for your premises liability accident. Don’t give them anything to use as ammunition to bolster these claims by apologizing, admitting fault, or acknowledging that you could potentially share blame for the accident.
Under Texas’s modified comparative negligence doctrine, damages in a civil lawsuit can be reduced proportionately to fault up to 50 percent. If you admit that you could be to blame, it could have a direct and irreversible impact on your ability to recover compensation from the property owner.
The best thing to do is to limit your conversations about the accident with everyone except for your premises liability attorney. Anything you say can potentially be twisted, manipulated, and used against you. Your Round Rock personal injury lawyer can help you navigate issues like these and protect your ability to seek full compensation for your injuries.
Call an Experienced Round Rock Premises Liability Attorney For Help
Premises liability lawsuits can be complicated. Even if you’re suing a small business or a private property owner, there’s a good chance a powerful insurance company or defense attorney will get involved in the case. If you want to level the playing field, match the resources they’ll invest in fighting your Round Rock premises liability case, and increase the odds of a meaningful financial recovery, it’s imperative that you ask for help.
When you hire Dow Law Firm, our premises liability attorneys can invest decades of combined experience and our law firm’s considerable resources into your fight for compensation.
You’ll be able to focus on your recovery while our award-winning legal team:
- Conducts a timely investigation into your accident to ensure that all critical evidence is gathered and preserved
- Answers your questions and explains your legal rights
- Locates and interviews eyewitnesses to your premises liability accident in Round Rock
- Consults expert witnesses whose insights can be invaluable in building a winning legal claim
- Calculates what your premises liability case could be worth and builds a claim to help you realize full compensation
- Files your Round Rock premises liability lawsuit within the applicable statute of limitations
- Represents you during negotiations with the negligent property owner and their insurance company
- Offers advice and counsel as you make decisions about whether to accept a settlement or push forward for potentially better results at trial
If the property owner won’t accept responsibility for your accident and injuries, our Round Rock premises liability lawyers will not hesitate to bring your lawsuit to a jury. As skilled and successful litigators, we’ve helped clients win tens of millions, and we’re prepared to do whatever it takes to help you find success, too.
There’s a limited time to pursue compensation from a negligent property owner in Round Rock, Texas. Contact our premises liability attorneys in Round Rock at (512) 240-9951 to arrange a free consultation and discuss your case today.