So you are the cruel victim of what may seem like a terrible slapstick joke – you’ve tripped over and you’ve injured yourself, and whilst your dignity may heal in a matter of hours, your physical injuries may not be so easy to get rid of. Tripping and landing hard on the ground can cause some serious injuries like fractures, ligament tears and ruptures from stretching and twisting, and back injuries from twisting or being thrown to the ground violently.
So if you have tripped over and you want to make a claim, how do you go about it? If you tripped because of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to make a successful personal injury claim. For example, if you tripped due to a pothole or defect in the street, or tripped over an unattended box in a supermarket, or tripped over a loose cable in the office – if you think someone is at fault, we can tell you if we think you can claim.
Here’s a quick guide of some of the things you need to do:
Medical Attention
If you haven’t already, see your GP or go to a walk in centre or hospital and get your injuries checked over. As well as this being for your own welfare, do it so your medical records can be updated as we can rely upon them later on down the line of the claim. Medical evidence is very important in proving your claim.
Photos
Hopefully you have already taken photos of the offending defect or object that has tripped you up. If not, you should get some as quickly as possible. Photos allow us to assess the case and judge whether we believe we can win the case or not.
Draw a Sketch Plan
It doesn’t have to be a Monet, but scribble down a good enough sketch plan of the area showing directions of travel and the defect or object that caused the trip. It can help, and insurers will often ask for this so you might as well get it done as early as possible with events still fresh in your mind.
CCTV?
Consider carefully if there is any CCTV showing your fall. This can really help a case, particularly if it happened in a shop or a supermarket. CCTV is normally erased after a matter of weeks, so you don’t want your biggest piece of evidence disappearing.
Finally – Call Us!
Call our free claims helpline on 0800 634 75 75 and we can discuss your claiming options on a no obligation basis.
