Can I Sue the Park Where Uneven Pavement and Holes on the Path Made Me Fall?
You go to the park to enjoy being in nature, watch your children play or get some exercise. Unfortunately, public parks aren’t always appropriately maintained. Uneven pavement and holes on walking paths can trip you, leading to injuries. If you suffered injuries from a fall in a public park, you might be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other costs.
Our natural reaction after falling in a public place is to get up and move on. Doing that, however, could put any injury claim you file in jeopardy. The insurance company will say it doesn’t owe injury compensation to someone who walked away after a fall. If you fall, stay calm.
Before getting up and moving on, check yourself for injuries. Can you move all of your limbs, fingers, and toes? Are you bleeding anywhere? Do you feel confused or out of sorts? If you feel pain or confusion, stay where you are and rely on someone to help you up. If you think you need medical attention, do not hesitate to call 9-1-1.
You go to the park to enjoy being in nature, watch your children play or get some exercise. Unfortunately, public parks aren’t always appropriately maintained. Uneven pavement and holes on walking paths can trip you, leading to injuries. If you suffered injuries from a fall in a public park, you might be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other costs.
If you feel able to continue without immediate medical attention, immediately do the following:
- See if there was a hole, roots, a rock, uneven pavement, etc. that made you fall. Take photos and/or video.
- Get contact information of any witnesses who saw what happened.
- If the park has on-site employees, ask the process of reporting a claim and obtain any paperwork required to do so.
- NEVER say: “I’m okay,” “I’m sorry,” or “It’s my fault.”
If you file a claim for compensation, the insurance company representing the park’s owners (whether a private owner or a government entity) might offer you an immediate settlement, but never accept it. They just want to make the claim – and you – go away with as little cost and admission of fault as possible. The insurance company might not offer you anything. There’s a good chance they will fight the claim so they don’t have to pay you anything.
An experienced personal injury attorney, John Mobley, knows how to fight the insurance companies to get you the compensation you deserve. If you have been injured in a fall at a public park, contact the John Mobley Law Firm. We want to hear about your fall and injury. As always, your initial consultation is free.