Your next decisions can affect both medical outcomes and the strength of an injury claim.
- Get medical care and follow-up care in writing. Even if you think you’re “okay,” injuries from falls—head trauma, spinal injuries, internal damage—can worsen after the initial incident.
- Request the incident report and preserve a copy. In Summit, you may be working around multiple trades and shifts; the paperwork may be completed by someone else and filed quickly.
- Document the scene before it changes. If it’s safe, take photos/video of the scaffold setup (decking/planks, access points, guardrails, and any fall-protection used). Job sites in the Summit area move fast—repairs and cleanup can happen the same day.
- Write down a timeline while it’s fresh. Include who was present, what task you were performing, whether the scaffold was recently modified, and what safety steps were (or weren’t) being followed.
- Be careful with recorded statements. Insurers sometimes request quick statements. In Illinois, those statements can later be used to challenge the severity of your injuries or the cause of the fall.


