There is a “strictly legal” answer to this question that we will get to, but regardless of the statute of limitations or any other time limits, you should see your doctor as soon as possible after you have been injured in a slip and fall. We will discuss all of the reasons why it is so important to see your doctor, both for legal and health reasons, and you can be certain that any personal injury lawyer you speak to will tell you to see a doctor immediately if you have not done so already.

If you have been injured in a slip and fall, there are a few things that you will need to do as soon as possible: get medical attention, file an accident report, and hire an attorney. We will not talk much about hiring an attorney, but you can get more information here. If for some reason you are unable to notify the property-owner about your injury as soon as it happens, or there was not an accident report that they filled out on their own, then you will need to figure out who to contact and then start that process. A lawyer can help you with that, as well. However, let’s talk about seeing a doctor.

How Important Is a Doctor’s Visit After a Slip and Fall?

For a few reasons, seeing a doctor is arguably the most important thing that you can do after you have been injured in a slip and fall. First, because you need to make sure that any of the injuries that you sustained are not going to get worse, and that they are treated appropriately by a licensed medical professional. There is no reason that an injury needs to get worse because of a lack of medical treatment, and the sooner you see a doctor, the more confident you can be that your injuries are going to get the attention they deserve.

Secondly, visiting a doctor in regards to your slip and fall accident creates a paper trail that will be very important during your claims process. If you are dealing with an insurance company, they will demand proof of your injuries and will want to be certain that the injuries are actually connected to the accident that they are covering. The top priority for any insurance company is to limit the amount of money that it pays for any accident, and if there is any way to claim your injuries as pre-existing, they will take the opportunity.

What Is a Statute of Limitations?

A statute of limitations is a legal limitation on the amount of time that a victim has to file a lawsuit in the event of an injury (in other situations, a statute of limitations may apply to things like how long after a crime is committed that someone can be charged with the crime). In Florida, the statute of limitations for a personal injury is 4 years from the date of the accident. However, there are many times where a victim will not realize that they are injured until later, which will change the deadlines for their filing limits. This is addressed in the Florida Statutes 95.11.

Regardless of the terms of the statute of limitations, you should see a doctor as soon as possible in order to be proactive and make sure that there is no question about the connection between your injuries and the accident. If you take steps early to hire an attorney and see a doctor, you will thank yourself in the future.