Slip and fall accidents are more common and dangerous than most people realize. It's an unfortunate reality, though. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Council on Aging, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Safety Council keep track of this kind of unintentional injury.
Since you're reading our slip-and-fall accidents statistics article, you or a loved one may have recently been injured. If that's the case, Morgan and Morgan can help you recover compensation depending on the factors of your accident. Negligence on behalf of another party is essential for a legal claim. We'll address how that can impact your ability to collect insurance money further on.
Slip-and-Fall Accidents Statistics and Facts
- Falls are the cause of almost one-third of non-fatal injuries
- One out of five fall accidents results in a severe injury such as head trauma or broken bones
- Over 800,000 people per year are hospitalized for injuries sustained by a fall
- Over 95% of hip fractures occur because of a fall
- More than nine million people per year end up in the emergency room because of fall-related injuries
- Falls are the number one cause of traumatic brain injuries
- Falling once doubles the chances of falling again in older adults
- Slip and fall accidents are the third most common reason for personal injury lawsuits
- With each decade of life, the probability of falls increases
Slip and Fall Accidents in the Home
- Falls occur most frequently in the living room
- 75% of falls happen in or near the home
- 50% of accidental deaths in the home are fall-related
- Over 97% of falls from ladders occur at home versus the workplace or elsewhere
- Most people that fall in the home do so on a flat surface, not from an elevation
- Falls are the second most common cause of injury or death within the home
- Over 5,000 people visit an emergency room after a fall caused by tripping on loose carpeting or area rugs
Older Adults and Slip and Fall Accidents Statistics
- Older adults that fall result in $50 billion in medical costs each year
- 3 million older adults visited an emergency room in 2019 for injuries that were a result of a fall
- Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for adults 65 and older
- Texas leads the nation in older adult falls
- Wisconsin leads the nation in older adult deaths caused by falling
- One in four older adults will fall each year
- An average of 300,000 older adults are hospitalized each year for hip fractures
- Half of older adults don't report falling
- Older adults are treated in emergency rooms every 11 seconds for fall injuries
- Adults over 85 are 10 to 15 times more likely to fracture a hip than individuals 60–65 years old
- Over 60% of nursing home residents will experience a fall
- More than half of the older adults who fracture a hip will not be able to return home or live independently
- 40% of nursing home admissions are due to a fall
Statistics and Facts for Fatal Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents
- Gender does not play a factor in fall fatalities; however, more men will die from a fall in the workplace
- Fall injuries are responsible for 30,000 deaths each year
- 67% of deaths related to falls are among adults over 75 years old
- For those 65 and older, falls are the number one cause of preventable accident-related death
- An older adult dies from injuries related to a fall every 20 minutes
Workplace Slip and Fall Accidents Statistics
- Falls are the number one cause of lost time in the workforce
- Construction workers are most at risk for death from a fall
- Injuries sustained in a slip and fall accident are the most reported by employees
- On average, an employee will miss 11 days of work following a fall
- Slip, trip, and fall accidents cost employers over $17 billion annually
- 60% of non-fatal slip and fall injuries occur in the retail, services, and wholesale industries
- 85% of workers' compensation claims are attributed to falls resulting from slick floors
- Slip and fall injuries are the number one cause of workers' compensation claims in the trucking industry