Did you know that one in four people age 65 years or older falls each year? Often, these falls result in hip fractures, broken bones, and head injuries. Fall-related injuries can also be the start of a more serious health issue that can carry a heavy quality of life impact, such as long-term disabilities that reduce one’s independence. They are also the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for this age group.
Many slip, trip, and fall accidents result in minor injuries, a sprain, a laceration, bruises. We do not always think of these types of accidents resulting in serious injuries yet serious falls are most common in the elderly, those over age 65.
If you are not aware of the dangers of slip, trip and fall accidents, these statistics and facts will help educate and inform you about the potential dangers.
Spills, mopping the floor, walking in from the rain; water on the floor presents a slip and fall hazard. Wet floors may be a common everyday occurrence; however, you can easily wind up with serious injuries in a slip and fall accident suffering minor bumps and bruises to life-threatening head trauma and more.
Slip and fall accidents happen all the time. They can happen at any public place, such as a store, sidewalk, or parking lot, or even on private property like a swimming pool. They happen to anyone, at any age (not just senior adults) and you can suffer minor bruises to more serious head trauma.
Falls happen for a variety of reasons in the workplace. Slippery work surfaces, unstable work platforms, unprotected holes, falls from ladders. In fact, falling from a ladder is one of the most common types of work accidents, especially in the construction industry (where falls happen to be a leading cause of death).
According to the CDC, over one million Americans suffer a slip, trip, and fall injury accidents and over 17,000 people die annually because of these injuries. In fact, on average, falls are one of the top three leading causes of unintentional deaths.
Slip, trips, and falls often result in serious injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken hips or pelvis, shoulder and neck injuries, and more.
Do you know the difference between slips, trips, and falls? A slip is when you lose your footing, a trip is when you catch your foot on or in something, and a fall is when you come down suddenly, often hitting the ground or another object with a great deal of force. Learn the difference to know which kind of personal injury claim to file.
Slip, trip and fall accidents can happen anywhere – at a retail store or office building, in a parking lot, at a neighbor’s home or anywhere in between. All of these places – buildings, homes, parking lots, and even walkways – are supposed to be maintained to ensure the safety of those using them. If they are not and you have a slip and fall accident due to the owner’s negligence, you may have a premises liability case.
Slip and trip accidents while going up or down the stairs can result in serious injuries. When you add height, the repeated impact of multiple stairs, and unsafe conditions, the dangers of stairs multiply.
Slip and trip accidents can result from hazards such as:
Whether you are on a commercial property or residential, stairs can present dangers to both able-bodied and disabled persons, young and old alike.
According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), over 1 million hospital emergency room visits are due to slip and fall accidents, or 12% of total falls.
Slip and fall accidents can happen at any time and any place. Sometimes it is just that, an accident plain and simple. Other times, it may be due to the negligence of another party. Whatever the cause, the elderly – those 65 and older – are at a greater risk to fall and suffer a serious, sometimes life-threatening, injury.
Elderly: 29 million falls. 800,000 hospitalizations. 28,000 deaths. Share on X