Iowa Premises Liability Lawyers

It depends. Getting hurt on another person’s property does not necessarily mean that they are responsible for your medical bills or compensation for your pain and suffering.

To file a slip and fall lawsuit, you have to prove that the property owner did something to create a dangerous condition on their property, or that they failed to do something to eliminate a dangerous condition.

This applies to slips, trips, falls, and other kinds of injuries while you’re on someone’s property. An Iowa premises liability attorney must prove that there was something dangerous on the property to help secure compensation for you.

IAfter a bad slip, trip, or fall, there are four steps that you need to take.

Speak with an Iowa Slip and Fall Lawyer: If you have been seriously injured, an attorney can help you get you fair compensation. Many business owners or their insurance companies are slow to accept fault for an accident. A slip and fall lawyer can investigate your accident, negotiate with the insurance company, and hold the negligent parties accountable for your injuries.

Seek Medical Treatment for Your Injuries: Your number one priority after you fall is to see a doctor as soon as possible. If you are seriously injured, it’s a good idea to take an ambulance to the emergency room. Your injuries may take a while to show up, but that doesn’t mean they’re not serious. These medical records are crucial pieces of evidence if you decide to pursue a personal injury claim later down the road.

Report the Slip, Trip, or Fall Accident: You should immediately inform the homeowner, property owner, manager, or landlord that you fell. Include details about where you fell and what caused the fall in your report. If you are not able to immediately report the fall because of your injuries, have a family member or friend do so.

Document Your Slip, Trip, or Fall Accident: Try to document as much as you can once you’re able. This includes getting the names and contact information of any witnesses, taking photos of the accident site from different angles, taking photos of your injuries, and writing down everything you remember about the scene of the accident. Also check to see if there is video footage of your fall.

If you suffer a slip, trip, or fall at work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation. Take the following steps to help with recovery and ensure you receive workers’ comp.

• Report Your Injury: Tell your boss or supervisor about your injury as soon as you can. Talk to them and write down what happened, when it happened, and if there were any witnesses. Reporting your injury quickly helps ensure your claim is valid and you meet workers’ comp deadlines. If you do not report the injury within 90 days, you can miss out on compensation.
• Get Medical Help: Get medical help right away. Your employer might give you a list of doctors you can go to, or they might tell you which doctor to see. Tell the doctor that your injury happened at work. They will check your condition, recommend treatment, and write down what happened to you. This information is important for your workers’ compensation claim.
• Fill Out a Workers’ Compensation Claim: Once you’ve reported your injury and seen the doctor, make sure that a workers’ compensation claim has been started. You may need to fill out forms that your employer or the insurance company gives you. When providing information for the claim, give accurate details about what happened, your injuries, and any medical treatment you’ve received. Make sure all information is submitted, and confirm with your employer that the forms have been provided to the insurance carrier.

If your workers’ compensation claim is accepted, you are entitled to all reasonable and necessary medical care in addition to disability benefits if you are taken off work while recovering from your work injury. If your claim is denied, you have the opportunity to contest this determination. Our Iowa slip and fall attorneys can help you get the workers’ compensation benefits you are entitled to.

Some common reasons for falls at a nursing home include:

• Environmental Hazards: Slippery floors, bad lighting, incorrect bed height, and other dangers can all be causes of slips, trips, and falls. Nursing home staff are supposed to keep these dangers to a minimum.
• Staff Inattentiveness: Nursing home staff are often so overworked that they do not have time to help residents with getting up or toileting. When staff is overworked or inattentive, nursing home residents fall.
• Chemical Restraints: Care facilities sometimes use medications to keep residents calm and easier to take care of. Yet these medications can make patients groggy and unstable while on their feet, which can lead to falls.

After your loved one has fallen, you should receive a call from nursing home staff alerting you to their injury. Your loved one will then go to the ER for treatment. When your loved one returns to the facility, follow up with the nursing home’s administrator or director of nursing and ask about your loved one’s care plan. The care plan may need to be updated.

Some falls could be the result of nursing home abuse or neglect. If you suspect your loved one is in danger after a fall at a nursing home, call 911, get your loved one to safety, and report the incident to the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing (DIAL).

In Iowa, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases (which includes slips, trips, falls, and other premises liability cases) is typically two years from the date of injury.

Even though you have up to two years to settle or file a lawsuit, you need to act quickly. Video footage of your injury may be recorded over. Witnesses of the incident may start to forget important details. Your own account of what happened may change as the adrenaline fades.

The longer you delay, the easier it is for insurance companies to pick your claim apart. It’s best to speak with an Iowa premises liability attorney as soon as possible.