Today we're going to be meeting a new client. This client slipped and fell at a grocery store in town. These cases involving slip-and-falls in Florida are very unique cases. They are quite interesting in that, oftentimes, the store where it occurred is quick to get everything swept up, so to speak. In these types of cases, we often counsel our clients, if they've got a camera, a cell phone, to use it to document the area by taking photographs and preserving the evidence. Sometimes it's difficult to get any video that may exist from the store, department store, grocery store, and we often have to litigate or go to court about this kind of thing.
Any statements that are given typically are also protected as work product by the department stores. They rarely like to disclose that kind of stuff to us. So, we tell our clients to be as detailed as possible and to contact our office as soon as possible, so that we can begin our own investigation as to what occurred. Slip-and-fall cases are unique cases, and, oftentimes, our clients give statements to the grocery store or department store where they slipped and fell. These statements, unbeknownst to our clients, are, typically, not shared with our clients or their attorneys. They are considered work product. These slip-and-fall cases often turn on how quickly the evidence can be preserved.
It's important to make sure the client continues to treat in these cases, and we help in that regard by getting all of our clients to healthcare providers near them, where they can continue their treatment. Oftentimes, the healthcare providers will not charge unless and until there's a recovery at the end of the case. This is helpful, especially in this economy, when people don't have health insurance or have limited means to getting to a doctor and paying for that care and treatment.
If you have sustained an injury in a slip-and-fall context, please give us a call.