Because Your Future Matters

3 potentially costly injuries people suffer due to slip-and-falls

On Behalf of | May 2, 2023 | Personal Injury |

Every business and homeowner with a mortgage is typically required to carry premises liability insurance. This special liability coverage protects property owners and commercial tenants from financial responsibility if someone gets hurt on the property in question.

People are often dismissive of how damaging a same-level fall can be. They aren’t aware that more than one million people every year end up in emergency rooms across the United States because of a same-level slip-and-fall incident. Property owners and businesses could potentially be held responsible for the medical expenses and wage losses people incur because they suffer one of the three significant injuries mentioned below as a result of a same-level slip-and-fall incident.

1. A broken bone

People can easily break a bone in their arm or fracture their collarbone if they try to catch themselves while falling. Older adults might break a hip in a same-level fall. Even a basic broken bone will mean roughly two months, possibly more, when people have limited functionality. They may need to take a leave of absence from work and may be unable to handle all of their care needs on a day-to-day basis.

2. A traumatic brain injury

Although breaking an arm in an attempt to stop a fall is unpleasant, it would be far worse for someone to not slow their descent. Some people hit their heads on the floor, on furniture or walls near them when they fall or on shopping carts and end up developing a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBIs can leave people with lasting symptoms that include sensory changes, memory issues, balance problems and even shifts in overall mood and personality. Brain injuries can be expensive to treat and can negatively affect someone’s earnings potential.

3. Soft tissue injuries

People often tense and jerk their bodies around in an effort to stop a fall. Even if they don’t break a bone in the process, they could very well strain or sprain part of their body, causing a painful soft tissue injury. People may require physical therapy, rest and pain relief while coping with a soft tissue injury.

While it is normal for people to feel embarrassed if they slip and fall in a public place, reporting the incident to the property owner or business manager is often a smart move, as it helps ensure there is a record of the incident. People may also want to seek out medical evaluation if they believe they went down hard enough to potentially have an injury. Hitting one’s head or blacking out at all are strong indicators that professional medical evaluation would be a good choice.

Seeking legal guidance in order to pursue a premises liability claim after a slip-and-fall incident could potentially help someone to cover both their medical expenses and the wages they’ve lost as a result of injurious circumstances that were the fault of a property owner.