Slips, Trips and Falls: The Aftereffects

• September 21, 2015
• Slip & Falls

Slip, trip and fall accidents often result in minor injuries — bruises, tenderness, a sprained wrist, some scrapes, cuts, and a bruised ego. We laugh to cover up our embarrassment and move on.

However, slip and fall accidents account for over 1 million hospital emergency room visits each year, some of which result in much more serious injuries.

What happens when you suffer a serious slip and fall injury and it isn’t due to your clumsiness?

Common Slip and Fall Injuries

Slip, trip and fall injuries can inhibit mobility, hamper independent living, lead to long-term medical complications, require ongoing physical therapy and rehabilitation, render you unable to return to your current job or even work at all.

Some of the most common injuries include:

• Head injuries, such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI), can be a life-altering experience. Severe head trauma may cause mobility issues, memory or cognition problems and require extensive rehabilitation. Even symptoms from a mild TBI such as a concussion can last one year or more.
• Neck, back, and spinal cord injuries, such as a slipped disc, herniated disc, or broken back can lead to chronic pain or potentially surgery.
• Broken hips or broken pelvises are typical injuries with older adults. The older a person is, the more likely this type of injury can result in a hip replacement surgery or a prolonged stay in a nursing facility.
• Torn tendons and ligaments often take time to heal and may require physical therapy.
• Fractures and dislocated joints of the forearm, leg, ankle, upper arm, hand, and elbow.

Slip, Trip & Fall Statistics

Of the five major causes of slips, trips and falls, walking surfaces account for 55% of all falls. The National Floor Safety Institute also reports:

• According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, floors and flooring materials contribute directly to more than 2 million fall injuries each year.
• Falls account for 87% of all fractures among people over the age of 65.
• Half of all adults over the age of 65 hospitalized for hip fractures are not able to return home or live independently after the fracture.
• According to the National Institute on Aging, every year 30% of people over the age of 65 will sustain a fall, of which 10% will result in a serious injury.
• According to the American Trucking Association, slips and falls are the leading cause of compensable injury in the trucking industry.

What Happens When Its’ Not Your Fault

A slip, trip and fall injury is not a laughing matter, especially when it happens because of some unsafe condition in a store, business, or residence (other than your own home).

Unsafe conditions include things such as:

• Wet floors, torn carpets, loose floorboards
• Grease or other oily substances
• Poor lighting
• Uneven sidewalks or walkways
• Cracked or uneven parking lots
• Failure to remove snow or ice
• Broken handrails or no handrails
• And more

In these instances, you may have a legal right to expect the business or owner of the property to pay for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. This is typically referred to as premises liability.

(It is important to note, however, that slip and fall accidents that occur during the normal course of your job are typically handled through workman’s compensation.)

Learn who may be liable for slip and fall injuries. Talk with one of our personal injury attorneys about your situation. We have obtained substantial settlements in slip and fall cases by proving unsafe conditions.

More On Slip and Fall Accidents

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