Under Ontario’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, businesses and other public/government/municipal spaces owners have a duty to ensure the safety of all visitors. Slip and fall accidents are often caused by the fault or negligence of the owners for which they can be held liable for injuries and damages. However, in reality, owners and their insurance-companies may not cooperate or act in good faith when claims are made.

The most important aspect of proving a negligence claim is proper documentation. All businesses are required to file an Incident Report if someone is injured on their premises, whether it is an employee or a visitor. Yet, not all businesses encourage injured victims to file this report, and they may falsely assure them that they will investigate/look-into/examine the circumstances and do the needful.

That’s why it’s crucial that you report the accident immediately to someone in authority. If you’re badly hurt, ensure that a loved one or trustworthy friend does this for you. Give the complaint in writing and get an acknowledgement. Your report should have the following:

• Time and date of accident
• Your complete information including full name, address, telephone-numbers, email
• Site of accident with complete details and time/date-stamped photographs if available, including prominent landmarks and hazardous condition that caused the accident
• Circumstances including lighting/weather-conditions, warning-signs or lack of them etc
• Witnesses and their contact details
• List of injuries suffered with photos if possible and medical treatment taken

An experienced slip and fall injury lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve.