When injury attorney is needed

Knoxville Personal Injury Attorney Deno Cole has experience with slip and fall claims.

More than 20,000 Tennessee residents are injured in slip and fall accidents every year. You may not think you need a personal injury lawyer, but do you know how hard it can be to prove your case in Tennessee?

Knoxville Personal Injury Attorney Deno Cole does and he has a track record of uncompromising ethics and expertise in personal injury claims. If you have been involved in a slip and fall accident, the first thing you need to do is seek medical assistance. Regardless of how you initially feel following the fall, you may still have sustained an injury and it is important to have a medical professional evaluate you.

It can take days or even weeks to notice resulting injuries from a slip and fall, which is why it is imperative to have documentation of an initial evaluation immediately following the accident. Slip and fall injuries often result in injuries that can take days or even weeks to become noticeable.

Proving Slip and Fall Negligence

In Tennessee, property owners and their tenants are legally obliged to address potential personal hazards on their property. The more information you gather immediately following the accident, the stronger personal injury case you will have. This includes:

• Where and when the accident occurred: Specifically, where were you – in the parking lot, inside the store, just outside the store about to enter the door, aisle 8 in the middle of the soup section, near the bakery? Also, what time of day the accident occur?
• Photos: What cause you to slip and fall? Was it a wet floor? Was there a defect in the pavement? Take as many photos of the mechanism that caused your fall. Also, remember to take photos of your clothing and shoes you were wearing at the time of the fall.
• Weather conditions: Was it raining? How soon before your accident did it start or stop raining? Was it sunny? Was it snowing or was there ice on the ground?
• Caution signs: Were there any “Caution: Wet Floor” signs in the area where you fell? If so, approximately how many feet from the area where you fell was the sign located?
• Witnesses: Did anyone see you slip and fall? If so, attempt to get their contact information and relationship to the tenant or owner of the property.
• Familiarity with the location: How often do you frequent the site where the slip and fall occurred? Was this the first time you had been there or are you a regular customer/visitor?
• Property tenant, owner, and their insurance companies: In many instances, the person that operates the business in which you slipped and fell is not the owner of the property. Furthermore, do not assume that either the tenant or the property owner will contact you with their insurance carrier’s information. You must be pro-active in obtaining this information.
• Make sure you get the name of the manager on duty at the time of the injury along with the company’s information, the property owner’s information, and the names and numbers of both insurance companies if they are not both covered under the same insurance carrier.

Compensation for your personal injury

Proving your personal injury case after a slip and fall can be very challenging. In Tennessee, you have one year from the date of the slip and fall accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you are successful in proving your case, you may be entitled to compensation including:

• Medical bills reimbursement
• Lost wages for time off work
• Pain and suffering
• Repair or replacement of any property (e.g. cell phone, glasses, shoes) that was damaged or destroyed as a result of the slip and fall
• Permanent disability and disfigurement
• Other costs specifically incurred because of the slip and fall

After your initial visit to have your injuries checked, you should contact a personal injury lawyer who knows your legal rights in Tennessee. Because you have only a year from the date of your accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, it is important to find an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you understand the diverse legal issues, court rules, and time constraints that may affect your case.
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Thank you for taking the time to learn more about my personal injury practice in Knoxville, Tennessee. Remember, I am here for you to bring peace of mind and protect your best interest.

Deno Cole
Personal Injury Attorney in Knoxville