Slip and Falls Accidents are Very Common
Slip and fall accidents remain one of the most common causes of injury in the United States with more than 3 million older adults being treated in emergency rooms for fall injuries each year. Further, slips, trips, and falls remain the most common cause of injury in retail stores.
While these accidents are common, they also can be costly. Learn more about the common causes, injuries, and costs of slip and fall accidents and how the slip and fall lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can help.
What Are Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents?
Slip and fall accidents can occur anywhere– in residential, commercial, industrial, and public places. Because of this, there is a responsibility for everyone to keep spaces clear and free of hazards. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen, leading to slip and fall injuries.
Some of the most common causes of slip and fall accidents include:
- Wet and uneven surfaces: This includes loose or uneven floorboards, clutter on floors, potholes in parking lots, poorly maintained sidewalks, faulty staircases, waxed or moped floors that are still slick, and loose carpets. Failure to notify patrons of such surfaces can often result in legal battles as due diligence was not taken to keep people notified and safe from harm.
- Weather-related conditions: While we cannot control the weather, we can do our due diligence to maintain our properties when precipitation occurs. This includes clearing snow, applying ice melt and clearing drainage so passersby are less likely to become injured. This not only applies to property owners but to government agencies responsible for the maintenance of plowing roadways and other public
spaces. - Workplace training: Slip and fall accidents are very common in the workplace and unfortunately, are often a result of improper training and lack of safety tools and resources.
- Nursing home neglect: Unfortunately, nursing home neglect continues to be one of the leading causes of slip and fall accidents nationwide. With residents more likely to be susceptible to falls, and some medications having adverse effects, when an elderly person slips and falls, these accidents can be fatal.
Of course, sometimes accidents just happen and sometimes, a person may simply trip over their own two feet. However, when hazardous conditions are present that may have contributed to the fall, there may still be a case for a personal injury lawsuit.
Where Do Slips and Falls Occur?
We know that slip and falls can happen anywhere, but mostly at places we frequent daily. Common locations for slips and falls to occur include:
- Grocery stores/retail locations
- Restaurants
- Parking garages/parking lots
- Apartment buildings
- Amusement parks
- Swimming pools (both public and private)
- Escalators
- Entertainment venues
- Nursing homes
It is important to remember that while patrons are expected to practice safe habits, property owners and business owners must also provide guests and employees with safe places to work and shop.
What Are the Most Common Injuries Associated with a Slip and Fall?
Following a slip and fall accident, some injuries are more prevalent than others in victims. The most common types of injuries after a slip and fall include:
- Broken bones
- Ankle or wrist sprains
- Knee damage
- Shoulder injury
- Muscle strain
- Spine or nerve damage
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Cuts and bruises
- Soft tissue injury
- Head injuries
What is important to remember is that not all of these injuries are apparent right away which is why following a slip and fall accident, you should seek medical attention. Many injuries can be treated when diagnosed right away, however, in some cases when injury is left untreated or improperly treated, they can have long-lasting repercussions or be fatal.
What is the Cost Associated with a Slip and Fall Accident?
We often don't consider the costs associated with injury right away after an accident as we are more concerned with safety and recovery. However, slip and fall cases can be very costly to the victim.
According to the National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, in 2015, the estimated medical costs associated with fatal and nonfatal falls were approximately $50 billion. Medicare paid approximately $28.9 billion in nonfatal falls, with Medicaid paying $8.7 billion and private and other payers $12 billion.
When you consider that the average hospital stay for a slip and fall case according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is estimated to be between $30,000 and $40,000, it's no wonder why slip and falls are so expensive.
Further, you must consider the associated costs of:
- Lost wages (both current and future)
- Future medical costs
- Ongoing rehabilitation
Not only is it financially costly, but there is also a noneconomic cost. This includes associated pain and suffering and diminished quality of life in cases of severe disability.
However, with the help of a slip and fall accident lawyer, you can recover compensation for these associated costs.
How Can a Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer Help Me?
Following a slip and fall, your top priority is to heal. However, you are in a time crunch if you want to file a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent party. In most states, you have between two and three years to bring forth a claim. And, if you accept a settlement too soon, you may risk your right to take legal action against the negligent party and receive a less-than-favorable settlement.
If you have slipped and fallen at someone's home, a retail establishment, a medical facility, or a government-owned property, you must understand that you have legal rights to take action. Proprietors, business owners, landlords, and homeowners have a duty to keep their property free from serious hazards and to remedy such conditions when made aware of them.
However, when someone is hurt because the property owner was negligent, you can seek legal recourse against the owner.
A slip and fall accident lawyer can help you by:
- Providing you with legal advice
- Collecting evidence from the accident
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Establishing fault
- Representing you in court
Further, a slip and fall accident lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can help you determine just how much compensation you may be entitled to. They do this by reviewing:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
As in any legal case, the negligent party or insurance company will want to pay out as little as possible, so knowing what your case is worth is critical.
In some cases where the property owner has been extremely negligent or exhibits intentional wrongdoing, you may be awarded punitive damages.
How Does a Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneysyer Prove Negligence in a Slip and Fall Case?
Proving negligence is often the most difficult part of a slip and fall case. Property owners do not want to shoulder the blame, and in some cases, both the property owner and the victim may share in the fault of the accident.
However, so long as the property owner is mostly to blame, you should be able to collect damages. To do so, a Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys slip and fall attorney will review if:
- The property owner had a duty of care to maintain the property
- The duty of care was breached
- You suffered harm because of this breach
- You suffered damages as a result
Slip and fall cases are not always clear but, despite most often being settled outside of court. This is why seeking legal representation early on will be critical to your case's success.
Why You Need Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys For Your Slip and Fall Case
For more than 60 years, the slip and fall attorneys at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys have been representing accident victims across Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. While these types of accidents can be difficult to prove fault, our results speak for themselves. We have recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients and we want to do the same for you.
Slip and fall accidents are often controversial as property owners will want to shift blame to the victim in any way possible–but remember, even if you are partially at fault, you still can likely recover compensation for your losses.
Our premises liability attorneys have helped slip and fall accident victims recover damages for:
- Medical bills
- Further medical costs
- Lost wages (both current and future)
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
When a property owner is negligent, you should not have to foot the bill, nor should you settle for a lesser amount than you are entitled to.
An Experienced Slip and Fall Attorney Can Help
If you or a loved one have suffered an injury in a slip and fall accident or have experienced wrongful death of a family member, contact us today for a free consultation. We will evaluate the details of your case at no charge, and answer any questions you may have about what to do next.
Further, our slip and fall accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis meaning you don't pay until we reach a settlement or verdict. Call (844) 202-5754 or fill out our contact form today to work with a Munley lawyer and get back on track to recovery.
