The hospital is supposed to be a place of rest and recovery, but it also includes plenty of potential risks as well. Injuries caused by slips happen more often in medical facilities than you may think, and they often lead to long recovery periods where you can’t return to work. When you’ve been hurt in this type of accident, you need the aid of an experienced premises liability attorney to seek compensation.
How Hospital Slip and Fall Cases Occur
Although hospitals and clinics typically take measures to protect visitors, accidents still happen. Unfortunately, those accidents may occur due to negligence when the medical staff, maintenance crews, or even construction workers fail to exercise their proper duty of care. These are some of the most common reasons why a slip and fall happens in Philadelphia hospitals:
- Cracked or split parking lot pavement causing pedestrians to trip
- Damaged floors that haven’t been properly repaired or maintained
- Equipment like carts, trays, or cords left in a walkway where it could cause a collision
- Lack of proper lighting
- Liquid spills that aren’t cleaned immediately
- Poorly maintained handrails and stairs
- Slippery floors left wet after mopping
How to Handle a Hospital Slip and Fall Injury
Regardless of which specific negligent behavior caused your fall, there are several steps you should always follow after suffering an injury in a hospital. To protect your right to compensation, make sure to:
- Document the condition that caused your fall by taking photographs from different angles
- Gather contact info of eyewitnesses if possible
- Immediately seek medical treatment to create a paper trail on your injury
- Contact a premises liability attorney as early as you possibly can
That last step is critical to recovering damages for medical costs, pain and suffering, as well as loss of wages if you are unable to work. With a premises liability attorney’s assistance, you are more likely to prove that negligence from the property owner or hospital staff caused your accident.
Did You Suffer an Injury From a Fall in a Pennsylvania Hospital?
If you’ve been hurt in a medical facility that should have been a safe place to walk, get in touch with an attorney today for a consultation. The Heslin Law Firm is ready to begin negotiating with the hospital’s insurance provider or take a case to court to seek compensation for your injury.