Common Injuries From Trips and Falls

Falls are one of the leading causes of injuries across the United States—and not just in hazardous occupations. Trip and fall accidents can and do happen to anyone on many different types of properties including parking lots, stores, shopping malls, apartment complexes, government buildings, and many other places. These property owners still maintain the legal responsibility to ensure that their properties are reasonably free and clear of obstacles and hazards. When a hazard continues to exist and the property staff has not tried to remove it or to place warning signs around it so as to prevent accidents, they could be held legally responsible in court for injuries sustained by someone who trips and falls. 

Since trip and fall accidents are often part of comedy sketches or cartoons, many people underestimate just how much they can seriously hurt someone. It is no laughing matter when someone trips and falls because of an obstacle or hazard that they could not have seen or avoided. In these situations, this person may miss work, may have to give up physical activities or alter their daily life for some time to come, and may have to deal with rising medical bills and future expenses.

Trip and fall injuries can run the gamut from minor scrapes and an impact on your pride all the way to severely broken bones and other damage, such as critical back pain or a concussion. Cuts lacerations, internal organ damage, torn tendons and ligaments, and many other medical conditions are common examples of problems from slip and fall injuries. Neck injuries, spinal cord injuries, ankle and knee injuries, shoulder wrist and elbow injuries, and more can also all occur in a slip and fall or trip and fall accident.

One of the biggest problems with trip and fall injuries is how you fall. Many people use their wrists or elbows to brace themselves in a serious fall and this could lead to critical injuries and severe pain. This can also lead to broken bones. Furthermore, if you strike something on the way down, particularly on your head, this could lead to concussions or even traumatic brain injuries. 

In the moment, you may not fully comprehend what has happened, but it is imperative to gather any and all evidence if possible and to share this with your medical professional as well as your premises liability attorney. 

If you can show that someone else is responsible for maintaining an area free and clear of hazards and that you still suffered a trip and fall in an accident, you could be able to recover compensation for your damages, such as medical bills and lost income due to missed work.

More than one party may be liable in your lawsuit, depending on how the accident happened and your potential costs in the future. A full investigation is necessary to determine what might have happened and how you can rectify that situation through a damage claim. Although it may be uncomfortable to file a claim against a business owner or apartment complex owner, it still should not be your burden—you may need the funds to help you close out this chapter of your life, heal from your injuries, and move on. 

Getting medical attention early on in your trip and fall or slip and fall injury claim is extremely important. This is because it gives your doctor an opportunity to diagnose you and to come up with a treatment plan. However, there are also some situations in which you may never fully recover from your injury. Many people can take weeks or months to recover, but some people will also live with chronic pain depending on how they fell and what they struck on the way down. 

It is essential that you hire a premises liability attorney who is prepared to argue this claim in court and who is comfortable gathering the necessary information to show how your life has changed. If you have permanent injuries, your lawyer must be able to argue this clearly in your claim. 

Many premises liability cases involving common injuries from trip and falls resolve outside of court rather than going to trial. This is because your attorney should be experienced and familiar with how to negotiate settlement offers based on your current medical bills and other expenses as well as those that may apply in the future. Many companies named at fault in trip and fall injuries are concerned about the level of damages that may be awarded in court and would rather settle.

If you can come to terms with the other parties in your lawsuit, you may be able to resolve your claim quicker and easier. However, your premises liability attorney, who is familiar with the most common injuries from trip and fall accidents, should also be prepared to push through for trial if the other side is not willing to agree on a firm settlement offer that fully compensates you. 

Set aside a time to talk to the qualified premises liability lawyers at Morgan & Morgan today to further protect your rights and to ensure that you have the opportunity to file a lawsuit within the statute of limitations in your location.

If someone else’s negligence caused your accident and suffering, contact us today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to learn more about how you can get justice.