| Falls are consistently the major cause of injury-triggering accidents. Thousands of people are injured annually - some very seriously - when they slip or trip and fall on a wet floor, a flight of stairs, or a rough patch of ground.
As property owners have responsibility for maintaining safe premises and warning visitors of possible hazards, they can be held liable for injuries that occur due to dangerous conditions on their property. Slip-and-fall accidents can bring on many types of injuries, ranging from the relatively minor to the extremely severe.
A slip-and-fall accident can happen almost anyplace, on private or public property, outdoors and indoors. A slip-and-fall injury can occur because of hazards as follows:
- Bad weather conditions (for instance, ice, snow, or rain)
- Uneven sidewalks
- Holes
- Badly lit or unmarked stairs or pathways
- Slippery tiling
- Unbalanced flooring
- Rippled carpet
- A foreign matter on the floor or walkway
Typical injuries resulting from slip-and-fall accidents range in severity. A victim may sustain bruises, broken bones, and scrapes which require minimal medical care and heal relatively quickly. Other victims suffer a catastrophic personal injury – a spinal cord injury, a brain injury, or a burn injury – that leads to lifelong damage and requires long-lasting medical care. In the worst case scenario, the victim dies because of his or her injuries. If this is the case, and the slip-and-fall accident occurred because of the property owner's negligence, then the death is believed to be wrongful and can be litigated as such.
The sooner you file a suit after the injury, the better for you. Most slip-and-fall injury claims are lodged within 30 days of the injury. The reason is that if you wait too long, your suit might be considered a frivolous one. If your case has even a hint of frivolity to it, your lawsuit is very likely to be dismissed.
Most slip-and-fall lawyers will tell you that you should first consult a medical practitioner to examine the severity of your injury. This will prove that you did indeed suffer a slip-and-fall injury, and can be invaluable in your case. You must keep thorough records of the medical aid you received, and records of any work you missed and the amount of money it cost you. Any extra costs, including trabsportation, medical drugs, physical therapy, and the like should also be thoroughly recorded. If you should win any slip-and-fall suits, these expenses can be reimbursed. |
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