If you or a loved one are injured on someone else’s property due to negligent behavior, you have the right to sue them via a premises liability lawsuit.

If you’re looking to bring the guilty party to justice, and receive fair compensation for your suffering, you need to handle the situation promptly and effectively.

To guide you through this difficult time, here is a handy seven-step guide for what you should do after suffering a premises liability accident in IL:

1. Get Medical Attention ASAP

Your health and well-being are more important than anything else immediately after the premises liability accident occurs. Depending on how badly you were hurt, you could require emergency care.

Receiving this care as soon as possible after an injury might be crucial to preventing further health concerns. Hence, make sure you visit a doctor to be examined.

By taking this action, you will also have a doctor’s report detailing your injuries, which may be crucial in a later premises liability case.

2. Hire the Right Premises Liability Attorney

By hiring a quality personal injury lawyer for your premises liability case, you greatly boost your chances of winning and receiving a fair settlement. Finding the right fit for you can take some time and research, but the effort will be well worth it.

Be sure to take the time to consult with them, so you can determine whether or not they meet your financial, emotional, and legal needs. Your effort regarding this step can make or break your ability to win your premises liability case.

3. Report the Accident Correctly

Reporting your accident properly is another step that will make or break your case. Depending on where the accident occurred, you will need to report it to the appropriate authorities.

For instance, the business owner or management could be that authority if you slipped and fell in a retail establishment. Similarly, the landlord or homeowner’s association could be that authority if you were harmed on a residential property.

Another accident report, which may also be crucial to later demonstrating carelessness, can be obtained by making the effort to report the incident to a relevant body.

4. Document Everything at the Accident Scene

Documentation and evidence will help you win your case and receive a fair settlement. As soon as you can after the incident, take pictures of the accident scene if you can.

If you’re unable to do so, you should get a trusted personal friend, or (ideally) your attorney, to gather evidence for you. After all, this is a time-sensitive scenario.

These images can serve as essential evidence for a future premises liability case by capturing the hazardous or dangerous elements that may have led to your injuries. Your chances of winning your case increase as you acquire more evidence.

5. Keep Track of Medical Bills and Updated Evidence

The evidence-gathering process is not a one-and-done scenario, so keep your evidence-gathering process in mind throughout your case. Save all of the bills you receive in case you require continued medical attention as a result of your injury.

These receipts may be essential to determining any future compensation to which you may be entitled. Also, every other updated or discovered evidence should be thoroughly documented. Otherwise, it could be challenging to ultimately support your position.

6. Allow Your Attorney to Speak to Insurance Agents When Possible

Insurance agents are not your friend. Ultimately, they are there to attempt to get you to accept the smallest settlement available (so they can make money for their employer).

After an accident, if one or more insurance firms get in touch with you, tread carefully when speaking with them because what you say there could affect your ability to recoup financially in the future.

7. Stay Calm

As these proceedings play out, it’s important that you remain calm, and focus on your mental health. After an accident, it can be tough to get “back to normal,” but it is possible.

Being calm about your case will help your attorney guide you through it more effectively as well. The timeline for premise liability cases can vary wildly, but they often take upwards of a year to fully resolve.

You Can Get Restitution

Thanks to the hard work of personal injury lawyers, people injured in premises liability accidents in IL receive fair, substantial settlements every year.

The more professional and forthcoming you are about your case, the more effective your partnership with your legal representative will be.

With this in mind, stay as honest as possible with your lawyer throughout the personal injury case.