How to File a Claim with Your Insurance Company

Notify the property owner/manager of your fall, so that they have a record of the incident. It goes without saying, but get appropriate medical attention. Contact an injury lawyer. Insurance companies tend to fight slip & fall claims, and you likely won’t get far without a lawyer.

Call your insurance carrier as soon as you are able. They will have a record of everything that happened to you, and your doctor’s record. You want to get as much information as possible as quickly as possible. They will want to speak with you on the phone, and you will want to speak with your injury lawyer.

Be as specific as you can. It helps to write down key details, or memorize them by heart, when appropriate. Remember that your lawyer will be working for you. You want as much information as possible for your injury lawyer to evaluate the case and know how to handle your case. They will know how to make it strong against a defense lawyer, and help you get fair compensation.

If the accident was your fault, be upfront about it. You should never admit fault in a slip & fall claim, because of the severe penalties for doing so. If you do, you could jeopardize your injury claim. Some insurance carriers and defense lawyers don’t like to try to negotiate a fair settlement on a slip & fall claim if the victim admits fault.

You may be asked to provide medical records to support your claim. If so, be sure to provide the records, or have someone else do so, before you speak with the insurance carrier. It helps to have a personal physician or surgeon review the medical records. Even if your records are not sufficient to recover compensation, it helps the attorney decide how much to ask for.

Note: Insurance carrier representatives will usually offer you a settlement much lower than what you may be entitled to. If you have medical records, give them to them at the same time they are able to review them. Their offer is just an offer. If they want to negotiate, they will lower their offer, or increase their offer.

You should speak with an attorney and/or insurance carrier as soon as you can after the accident.

It is critical to have the right type of medical coverage in place, when you have an injury claim. Sometimes, there are other issues involved with a claim as well. For example, if you were involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist, or if there was an uninsured motorist policy, or if the policy was not in effect.

The more medical coverage you have, the more you can get from your insurance carrier. Always remember, however, that if you are seeking benefits, the insurance carrier can still reduce your coverage amount, or even deny your claim altogether.