The “slip and fall” term is frequently used in personal injury legal firm commercials. Technically, it’s a term used for a personal injury case where a person slips or trips and is injured on someone else’s property. It seems to be a fairly obvious concept to grasp, but for those who have experienced a slip and fall incident, it might be good to understand it more thoroughly.
The trip and fall incident is caused by any object that obstructs a walkway. They’re often low and difficult to see.
If you’ve ever walked in bigger cities like New York, it’s common to see stores with cellar type doors on the sidewalk that are access to basement storage. If they’re not properly marked or flagged they can be very dangerous to passersby. The same applies to construction sites where any sort of excavation takes place.
Here’s a few common injuries caused by slip and fall incidents:
Broken hip, wrist, and ankle bones occur from the force of a fall. When there’s more pressure on the bone that it can withstand, it breaks. You normally end up in a cast for around 6-8 weeks depending on its severity.
These types of injuries aren't always visible and you might not even realize that you have one until days, or even weeks after the initial fall. They include minor ankle and wrist sprains but can also come in the form of debilitating tears in tendons and ligaments. These types of injuries can lead to chronic pain if untreated and may also weaken you to subsequent injuries.
These injuries happen after a person hits their head on the ground, another object, or surface when they fall. They range from small concussions, bumps, and bruises to major injuries like skull fractures, hematomas, and brain hemorrhages. TBIs can impact brain function, cause seizures, and loss of bodily control.
According to the CDC, nearly all broken hips are the result of falls. They typically require surgery and you’ll be in the hospital for about a week. They’re especially challenging for seniors and often require extensive rehabilitation.
Cuts and abrasions can look quite severe, but the injuries are often less extensive than other sorts of slip and falls. These injuries often only require superficial treatment and maybe some stitches.
Slip and fall accidents sometimes lead to fractured vertebrae or cause slipped or herniated discs. Spinal cord injuries can be painful and limit one's mobility. They can lead to temporary paralysis, permanent paralysis, other neurologic/sensory impairments, or even death.
When you fall, sometimes you land on your shoulder or neck. You can also overexert yourself trying to catch yourself during the fall. A neck injury can be as minor as muscle sprain or more severe like spinal injuries or even paralysis. A shoulder injury is typically a dislocation, torn nerves, or collarbone breaks. Neck and shoulder injuries can be painful and sometimes require surgery.
When you slip, you sometimes twist as you fall. The knee is an intricate assortment of bone and ligaments. If you tear or strain your MCL or ACL, the healing time can be lengthy. You can dislocate your patella also which may require knee reconstruction.
These cases are good examples of slip and fall incidents that resulted in significant awards from juries. It’s important to look at those numbers as one time payments that hope to cover the victim’s health and rehabilitation expenses for however long that may take. It also compensates them for loss of income because of the injury.
Holly Avery was a truck driver who made a delivery to a Walmart. She slipped on grease on Walmart's property and suffered a ruptured disc and injured her neck. This caused her chronic pain which left her unable to continue being a truck driver.
She sued Walmart and the jury awarded her $15 million in total damages.
The victim slipped on a banana peel (yes, a banana peel) and suffered severe spinal injuries that required surgery.
The jury awarded the victim $2.3 million in damages.
While shopping at Ikea, the victim encountered a display of countertops that were stacked vertically rather than the long way on their sides. The countertops were stowed with only a bungee cord. The countertops fell on the victim. She suffered a crushed pelvis that required a metal plate.
As a result, the jury awarded the victim $3.2 million.
Maria Mangano worked at a school where workers were installing new flooring. As part of the installation process, they placed flooring glue on the floor. The workers asked the victim to unlock a door. When she stepped onto the adhesive, she fell backward and was injured.
She suffered nerve damage and had complex regional pain syndrome. She was unable to work.
The parties settled the slip and fall case for $5 million.
Some may see slip and fall personal injury cases as a way to get rich quick. That’s not true. What it has done is push for a safer society to live in. Businesses are now vigilant in making sure their places of business are safe for their customers. For those who don’t and people are injured because of it, personal injury firms help victims find compensation for sometimes debilitating injuries.
If you’re injured in a slip and fall accident, you don’t have to deal with it alone. A skilled personal injury law firm is a good person to have in your legal corner. If you win, you may be awarded compensation for your injury. It doesn’t cost you anything if you don’t win.
Start your claim at Injury.com today in just three minutes. It’s really that easy.