While you could injure yourself falling over in your own home, often slip and fall accidents occur when you are out and about. Often the consequences can be much worse because you would typically have softer surfaces to land on in your home.
Here’s what you should know:
Tripping over in the street
The following could all catch you unawares if the streets are not adequately maintained:
- Uneven or slippery steps
- Large stones
- Uneven dirt or concrete
- Removed or missing bricks
- Animal holes
- Fallen branches or roots
Falling outside can be traumatic, and if no one witnesses your fall or comes to your aid because you fell out of sight, then you could experience more severe injuries.
Slipping at a store, business
Slip-and-fall accidents could happen while you’re shopping or visiting a business. You may come across hazards such as:
- Wet floors
- Snags in carpets
- Loose tiles
- Misplaced bags and purses
- Table and chair legs
- Cluttered aisles
- Wires
- Unstable ladders
- Loose handrails
- Poor lighting
Slip-and-fall accidents can result in trauma to the head and spine. You may break bones, bruise or develop medical conditions because of an accident. If so, you need to know what your options are to claim compensation for your injuries. If it happened outside your home, there is a good chance someone else’s negligence played a role. That might be a private business owner or it might be the local authorities or a company they contracted to carry out maintenance of other works that take place on the streets.