What Happens if You Get Injured Due to Inadequate Lighting?
You were walking somewhere dark and suddenly, you tripped, fell, and hurt yourself. Now, not only are you injured, but also you have to pay expensive medical bills on top of everything else. You’re wondering: What happens if you get injured due to inadequate lighting? Is it your fault? Or can you pursue a claim? Now is the time to learn more about your injury and what you can do.
Riverside, California personal injury lawyers Heiting & Irwin have over four decades of experience assisting clients with personal injury. We have retrieved more than $500 million for our clients, and we’ll work hard to get you the settlement that’s rightfully yours.
Why Does Inadequate Lighting Cause Injuries?
Inadequate lighting, whether it’s inside a business or outside of it – or even a residential dwelling – can make it harder to see what’s around you. If you’re inside a store, for instance, you could trip on merchandise and fall to the floor, breaking your arm or being otherwise seriously hurt. If you’re outside of a business and there is ice on the ground, you may not be able to see it. You could slip and fall on the ice and be very seriously injured (hip, neck, back, etc.). If you live in an apartment building and your landlord didn’t light the stairwell properly, you could fall down the stairs and suffer from an injury. There are a number of different scenarios that could occur.
If you get injured in a slip and fall or another situation due to inadequate lighting, then you could potentially initiate a premises liability lawsuit and seek damages, or compensation, for your injuries.
Injuries Caused By Poor Lighting
The severity of your injuries could be extreme. What happens, of course, is going to depend on the circumstances surrounding your accident. You could have become injured in a number of different ways including:
- Paralysis
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injury
- Fracture(s)
- Cuts
- Bruises
- Neck and shoulder damage
- Hip/knee fractures and disorders
If you receive medical attention right away, you may be able to keep your injuries from becoming worse. Oftentimes, with injuries like these causing neck and back pain, they may not seem a big deal at first, but they get worse overtime. It’s critical to seek the help of a doctor or hospital right away. It’s also very important to get the help of a personal injury lawyer should you become injured because of poor lighting, or other negligence on the part of others.
Starting a Lawsuit Due to an Injury
When you’re initiating a lawsuit because of a premises liability injury, you need to do it within specified time limits in the state of California. These time limits vary by circumstances, and it’s best if you bring forth a claim as soon as possible to show that your injuries are serious to investigate promptly and for a variety of other reasons.
It helps to have proof of your injury and the accident in general. Why? Because we will need to show that the property owner had a duty of care to you, the duty of care was breached, and the breach caused you injury. Essentially, they were negligent, and you suffered because of it.
Some examples of what we need to gather:
- Medical records, bills and loss of earnings verification
- Photographs of the scene, the cause of the fall, and your injuries
- Witness statements
- A report you made to the property owner, management, or storeowner
- Video of the accident occurring
- Some way to prove, confirm, the poor lighting and details of what happened
This is why it’s crucial to collect proof while you’re still at the scene, if possible, and if you are able. It will strengthen your case. But even if you don’t collect any, you can work with your personal injury lawyer to put this together.
It’s also critical to go to the doctor or hospital immediately following your accident. That way, it’s clear that you suffered from an injury and you took the right steps to help yourself. You should also take the medicine your doctor prescribes, follow instructions, go to follow up appointments if necessary, and get X-rays and tests done as prescribed to ensure there is no internal or other damage.
How a Settlement Works
When you contact a personal injury lawyer, you will usually receive a free consultation at the initial meeting. There, your lawyer will decide if you have a valid case they can take on. Then, they will help you collect evidence. Once that is done, they may attempt to negotiate a settlement with the responsible party, like the storeowner, property owner, or landlord. Remember that there could be more than one responsible person or company in your case.
Insurance companies are not your friend; and they are in the business to save and make money. They will provide as low of a settlement offer as they can and rely on the fact that many people don’t know the value of their claim. Instead, the best course of action is to hire an experienced and well-rated lawyer, get treatment, and have your lawyer handle the negotiating and settlement when you’re ready.
Your lawyer may be able to get you damages for your medical bills, loss of wages from having to take time off work to get treatment, emotional distress, damage to your belongings, and pain and suffering. Even future damages not yet realized may be in play and they won’t charge you a dime unless they can get you a settlement (then, they will take a percentage of the settlement that you receive).
Your lawyer may also have a network of providers they can refer you to if you don’t have health insurance and who will wait to get paid. This allows you to wait for a settlement to arrive without having to worry about your medical bills.
Get in Touch With Heiting & Irwin for Help
If you got injured because of inadequate lighting and you want to make a claim, then it’s time to find a personal injury lawyer to represent you. Heiting & Irwin are here for you. We have dealt with many personal injury cases and will work hard to get you the settlement that you deserve. Contact us online or call us at 951-682-6400 to start your case now.
