Contacting a Raleigh Slip and Fall Attorney
Suffering an injury is often an overwhelming and potentially traumatizing experience. Along with recovering from physical trauma, an injury could leave you with the financial strain in the form of a pile of medical bills and the inability to work. However, if you were injured on someone else’s proper after a slip and fall incident, consider contacting a Raleigh slip and fall attorney to discuss your legal right to seek compensation.
Navigating the legal system alone may be frustrating, especially as you try to recover from your injuries. Instead, a hard-working slip and fall attorney could help by shouldering the burdens of a claim so that you may focus on your recovery.
When Should an Injured Person Seek Legal Counsel After a Trip and Fall Injury?
After sustaining an injury on someone else’s property, it is advisable for a person to seek legal counsel as soon as possible. Of course, an injured person’s first priority should be to receive the medical attention they need. However, once they are stable, it may prove beneficial to contact a Raleigh slip and fall attorney.
One of the most essential elements of filing a claim is to preserve the evidence of exactly where and when a fall occurred. One could preserve evidence by obtaining photographs, measurements, and other documentation that is paramount. Furthermore, if an injury is severe enough, an experienced lawyer may retain an expert to inspect it. However, as time passes, evidence may fade or be lost completely, making it impossible to create for a persuasive claim.
What to Bring to an Initial Consultation
For an initial consultation, it can prove helpful for an injured person to bring all copies of their medical bills, any supplemental documents received from a physician, a list of doctors that have been seen following an injury, and any photographs of exactly where a person fell and what they fell on. Furthermore, the contact information of the person who owns the premises is often helpful as well, along with the contact information of anyone from an insurance company that the potential claimant spoke to.
Additional Circumstances Surrounding a Claim
There are certain pieces of information that an injured person should understand when looking to file a claim. For example, a trip and fall case would be impacted if more injuries became apparent later on. For this reason, a claimant may not want to hastily try and settle a case.
Usually, the insurance company will want to pay as little as possible and as quickly as possible. By being offered a quick settlement, an underrepresented individual may accept it in order to receive some form of compensation. However, if more severe and significant injuries are subsequently discovered, the injured person cannot re-open a claim to request more compensation.
Essentially, when a person signs a release or settles a case, the case is completely closed. Because of this, an individual should try to make sure that their injuries have completely healed or that they at least know what their medical future looks like. To this end, a detail-oriented and proactive attorney could help an injured claimant assess the full and possible extent of their damages in order to try to ensure their claim is not undervalued.
The Appeals Process in Raleigh
If an injury case is dismissed by the Trial Judge on a Motion to Dismiss or a Motion for Summary Judgment on a final ruling, the injured person can still appeal the claim to the North Carolina Court of Appeals—which is an appellate court in Raleigh. This court consists of a three-judge panel that considers if any potential errors have been made during the Trial Judge’s rulings.
With a Summary Judgment or a Motion to Dismiss, for example, the judge may have applied the incorrect standard or considered things that were not necessarily part of a claim. Essentially, the Court of Appeals will review the matter and either reverse the dismissal or affirm it. If the Court of Appeals reverses the Trial Court, then the matter is returned to the Trial Court and the lawsuit continues.
Because of this option, if an individual goes to a jury trial and the jury finds in the defendant’s favor, the plaintiff may feel as though an error has been made—either in the jury instructions that were submitted or in regarding evidence. These circumstances may then form the basis of an appeal, which a seasoned attorney could help with.
How Contacting a Raleigh Slip and Fall Attorney Might Help
If you were harmed on someone else’s property by suffering a trip and fall, considering contacting a Raleigh slip and fall attorney for help. While you have a legal right to seek compensation, the process for building a thorough and persuasive claim is often difficult and complex.
Furthermore, because North Carolina adheres to the legal theory of contributory negligence, you may still be able to recover damages even if you were partially responsible for your injuries. However, there are time limits and other restrictions on a claim. To begin working on a case today, call a legal professional.
