How can your clothing help prove injury liability?

Experiencing a fall on someone else’s property may cause you serious pain and keep you from working while you heal your injuries. Unfortunately, the property owner may contest your claims that the owner’s negligence caused your injury. This is why you should consider any kind of evidence that may help support your case.

Findlaw describes various kinds of evidence that may help you in a premises liability case, including the clothing you wore at the time of the injury. It may come as a surprise, but your clothes could be a crucial component of your case.

Clothing as evidence

You may fall for a number of reasons. If you are in a grocery store, the floor might have damage from a broken tile or liquid had spilled. Your clothing might pick up bits of dirt or concrete during the fall. If you fall because of a liquid spill, the liquid may catch on your pants, skirt or shirt.

The fall might inflict a wound that bleeds. As a result, your clothes might collect some blood from your wound, which could further support your claims of injury. Additionally, your clothes may rip or tear from the incident. Any kind of clothing damage might prove important.

Footwear as evidence

The property owner may argue that you wore bad footwear and thus bore fault for your injury. This is why you should consider keeping the shoes you wore at the time of your accident. Presenting your footwear may counter the owner’s arguments and support your claims that the owner was liable for your fall. The shoes may also contain physical evidence that supports your description of the hazard that injured you.

The evidence your clothes and shoes can provide makes it important that you preserve them in the condition they were in shortly after your injury. Resist the urge to wash your clothes. Coupled with other evidence you provide, like pictures from your phone, they may help you when you most need it.