Slip & Falls: What To Do If You Are Hurt In A Fall
Work Injury Lawyer
Slip-and-fall cases are a kind of “premises liability” claim that usually occurs on the property (or premises) owned or maintained by someone else. As a result, a property owner may be held legally responsible.
These accidents result in more than one million emergency room visits, or 12% of the eight million emergency room visits each year in the U.S. that are due to some sort of fall. That’s more than 2,000 each day in the United States. Many of these accidents happen here in Florida.
What Are the Most Common Types of Slip and Fall Injuries?
There are several serious injuries that can be caused by slip-and-fall accidents. Here’s a list of the most common injuries that are suffered:
Head injuries. Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI). A serious TBI may result in ongoing seizures, mood changes, cognitive impairment, and other debilitating symptoms.
Hip fractures. The CDC says that more than 95% of broken hips are suffered in falls. A hip fracture can be debilitating for a long time and usually requires invasive surgery and hospitalization for several days. A hip fracture also requires lengthy rehabilitation, sometimes while residing a nursing home during recovery. A broken hip often requires the implantation of an artificial hip. The pain, suffering, and limited mobility from a hip fracture due to a slip-and-fall accident can immediately and drastically change your life. You must be compensated for the consequences of your injury.
Back and spinal cord injuries. The physical effect to a body in a slip-and-fall accident can cause broken vertebrae or slipped or herniated discs—these back and spinal cord injuries are extremely painful and limit mobility. A spinal cord injury can lead to permanent paralysis, temporary paralysis, as well as other neurologic and sensory issues. According to the Mayo Clinic, falls cause more than a quarter of all spinal cord injuries.
Shoulder injuries. A slip-and-fall accident may result in a dislocated shoulder or an injury known as a “brachial plexus injury.” This network of nerves connects the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm, and hand. These painful injuries usually require surgery and then physical therapy to rehabilitate the injured arm and shoulder.
Sprains and other fractures. A slip-and-fall accident can cause a twisted or strained knee or ankle, as well as a sprain of the ligaments in those joints. You can also break a bone during a fall from hitting the floor or an object (like a table). The most frequent types of fractures from falls are hip, spine, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, and hand fractures.
What Steps Do I Take After a Slip, Trip, and Fall Accident?
Get Medical Treatment. After a slip, trip, and fall accident, if you think you might be injured, you must visit a doctor for treatment and to be certain that your injuries are documented properly. The medical records of your injuries will be evidence in the event that you and your slip-and-fall attorney seek compensation for your injuries from the property owner.
Make an Accident Report. Regardless of where your slip (or trip) and fall accident happens, whether it’s in a grocery or hardware store, on a public or apartment complex sidewalk, or at your friend’s place, you must report the accident to the store manager, business owner, or landlord. Get the details of the accident in writing and request that the manager, owner or landlord make a written report. Get a copy of that report before you leave.
Document, document, document. It’s critical that you get the names and contact info for all potential witnesses to your slip-and-fall accident in the event that you decide to pursue legal action. Use your phone to take pictures of exactly where you fell and make certain to get shots of any conditions or circumstances that contributed to your accident. This includes loose carpeting on stairs, uneven sidewalks, or wax or water on a store floor. Make notes of exactly what you were doing right before the accident, as well as how you fell (e.g., your left foot slipped, and you went down on your left hip), and other details, like the time and date.
Don’t discuss the accident. Stay calm and try to curb your discussions with the property owner or manager. Don’t share your accident details on social media and don’t talk to an insurance adjuster until you’ve contacted your attorney.
Talk to an experienced slip and fall attorney. If you have serious injuries from a slip-and-fall accident, you may seek compensation in a legal action. Speak with an experienced slip-and-fall attorney at Florin Gray so we can investigate your accident and protect your rights to achieve the best possible outcome.
Who May Be Responsible for My Injuries?
To recover damages from a slip-and-fall injury sustained on another person’s property or at a business, there must be a responsible party whose negligence caused the injury—some injuries are accidents simply the result of a person’s own carelessness.
However, in slip and fall cases on commercial property (like a business or a marina), frequently there are several individuals or entities that may be held liable for your injuries. To accurately determine who may be liable, an injured person should engage an experienced slip-and-fall attorney from Florin Gray.
Also, in residential slip-and-fall claims where a person is injured at someone’s home or other property (like an apartment, farm, or boat), an owner or landlord may be held liable to tenants or third parties for slip-and-fall injuries on that property.
Takeaway
You need to hire an experienced slip-and-fall personal injury and premises liability attorney, so please contact the
workers compensation lawyers at Florin Gray. Our legal team is dedicated to the pursuit of justice for the people we represent.
We have more than 100 years of combined experience successfully representing clients in personal injury law, including successfully representing those injured in slip-and-fall accidents. Contact us today!
