When you meet with a Morgan and Morgan personal injury attorney for a free case evaluation, one of the first items on the agenda is to discover what caused you to slip and fall. After more than 30 years of providing legal support, the personal injury lawyers at Morgan and Morgan have discovered 10 common causes of slips, trips, and falls.
Beverage Stations
Beverage stations located at convenience stores and inside restaurants cause a substantial number of slip and fall accidents. Customers that fill their own drinks often leave behind a trail of soda, water, or some other type of fountain beverage. Just a few customers failing to fill their cups properly can leave behind enough moisture that eventually forms a small puddle and thus, creates a safety hazard. At restaurants, beverage spills contribute to the high incidence of slip and fall accidents.
Ice Bins
Restaurants are especially prone to reporting slip and fall accidents for both customers and employees. The number one culprit of slip and fall incidents at restaurants is the ice bins located throughout a facility. Servers, bussers, and bartenders fill cups and glasses full of ice at different points in both the back and front of the house. From leaks to ice that falls to the floor, ice bins can quickly turn a dry floor into a dangerous floor.
Broken Bottles
Both convenience and grocery stores provide customers with an easy way to grab beverages from refrigerated units. However, the self-service option for acquiring beverages also poses a significant safety risk. Bottles that shatter on the floor leave behind a trail of moisture that instantly creates a safety hazard. Some customers do not report broken beverage bottles, which means that the area where a bottle breaks may not receive prompt attention from the staff.
Ice/Snow
If you live in a cold weather climate, you understand the perils that ice and snow present for mobility. You have to slow your pace and pay special attention to where you walk. Businesses are responsible for clearing ice and snow from entrances and sidewalks leading up to their venues. Failing to remove ice and snow can lead to slippery patches that can cause a serious slip and fall incident. In addition to frozen precipitation, melted ice and snow accumulates water, which typically is found at the entrance of a business.
Public Restrooms
Public restrooms represent a common source of slip and fall accidents. Even if attendants keep up with cleaning public restrooms, an overflowing toilet or a leaky pipe at a handwashing station can produce a large puddle of water that poses a huge safety risk for customers and visitors. Large venues such as arenas, stadiums, and parking malls report a high number of slip and fall accidents in public restrooms. Maintenance workers have a difficult time keeping up with “wet floor” calls.
Swimming Pools
Whether it is a swimming pool operated by a private owner or a municipal government, the management team of any swimming pool is legally liable for any slip and fall injuries. Although certain behavior by members and visitors contributes to the high rate of slip personal injuries at swimming pools, the failure to maintain dry surfaces for foot traffic plays a role in determining the rate of slip and fall accidents at swimming pools.
Loose Tiles/Carpeting
Not every slip and fall accident is caused by someone slipping on a wet floor. The personal injury attorneys at Morgan and Morgan also represent clients that have sustained injuries caused by trip and fall accidents. One of the most common sources of trip and fall accidents is loose tiles and carpeting. This is particularly true at airports where bunched carpeting presents a hazard for passengers that move quickly through concourses. Loose tiles are a common problem at convenience and grocery stores.
Unsecured Electrical Cords
Businesses owe vendors and customers a duty of care to secure all electrical cords. The most effective way to secure electrical cords involves applying some type of industrial-grade tape. A loose electrical cord is a problem not only because it is large enough to force an adult to the floor after tripping over it, but also because our sightlines are usually straight ahead, not down on the floor where a loose electrical cord awaits its next victim.
Clutter
Walk into a grocery store, and you should expect to see stockers throughout the facility replenishing products. Although they are responsible for removing clutter in a timely manner, the fact remains many of the aisles contain empty boxes and other forms of clutter. Tripping over clutter can lead to a fall that produces serious injuries. Clutter is also an issue at convenience and home improvement stores.
Poor Lighting
Poor lighting contributes to slip and fall accidents even if there is not another factor involved that causes someone harm. Lack of illumination can lead to slipping on a puddle of water that the victim would have seen if there was adequate lighting. Poor lighting also can lead to a trip and fall because the victim did not see clutter on the floor.