Kansas City, MO personal injury attorney Rachel Smith gives her advice for someone injured in a slip and fall accident. She emphasizes that in slip and fall accidents, documentation is critical. Unlike a rear-end car collision, where liability is often clear, in slip and fall cases the injured party is frequently blamed—accused of not watching where they were walking or of wearing inappropriate footwear. Insurance companies often attempt to assign contributory fault to the person who fell.

She stresses that by the time an attorney is retained, crucial evidence may already be gone. Therefore, it is essential for the injured party, or someone with them, to take photographs of the hazardous condition—whether it is uneven stairs, damaged pavement, or another unsafe condition. Early documentation may be the only record of the hazard before the insurance company intervenes, repairs, or covers it up, making the case significantly harder to prove without it.