Injured at a Store? The Importance of Incident Reports

As personal injury lawyers handling premises liability cases in the Kansas City area, one of the most important pieces of evidence are incident reports. Most stores or other businesses open to the public have policies that require an incident report to be filled out when an injury happens on their premises. Having seen many an incident report in my time, here are a few pointers in case you ever get hurt at a store and are asked to fill one out.

Always demand a copy.

You’d be happy to fill out one of the store’s incident reports, so long as they agree to give you a copy. If you don’t want to ask or they say, then take a picture of it. I’ve had cases where the store alters the incident report or refuses to provide a copy even when it has important witness information. You can avoid a lot of problems by getting a copy of the incident report when it’s made.

Be sure to clearly state what the store did wrong or why the thing you slipped or tripped on was dangerous.

The key to getting compensation in a premises liability case is proving that the defendant was negligent. The store or business must have done something wrong or failed to do something they should have, in order for you to get compensation. Clearly spelling that out in the incident report will increase your chances of getting fair and reasonable compensation.

Make sure basic information is collected.

Include witness names and contact information, time and place, and a thorough description of your injuries. By the time your claim makes its way to the store’s insurance company for evaluation, much of this information will have been lost or forgotten if not recorded correctly. Therefore, be sure to read the incident report fully and carefully before signing. That way, the incident report will help you provide your case.

If you’ve slipped or tripped because of a store’s negligence and have questions about proving your case, please feel free to contact Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott at (816) 867-8611. We’ve handled hundreds of such cases and have a wealth of experience and information.