3 injuries possible during falls in a business or icy parking lot

Slip-and-fall incidents can serve as an amusing visual punch line in a movie or cartoon. In the real world, however, they can be both embarrassing and very dangerous. Same-level falls send more than a million people to the emergency room every year and are consistently a leading cause of lost time incidents for workers in all sorts of different professions.

Someone shopping at a craft store or checking into a hotel could trip over an unsecured rug or slip in a spilled cup of coffee. They might then end up hurt and in need of financial compensation. Premises liability claims allow those injured on someone else’s property to pursue compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages and other financial losses.

What types of injuries might lead to a slip-and-fall premises liability claim?

Broken bones

People of any age can break a bone when they fall, but adults over the age of 55 are at elevated risk. A combination of declining bone density and reduced healing ability can make broken bones a greater concern for older adults. They can be a major setback for individuals in the prime of their life too, especially if they work in a blue-collar profession. Broken bones can lead to thousands of dollars in healthcare costs and weeks away from work in some cases.

Soft tissue injuries

People tend to panic when they realize they have lost their balance. They swing their arms, kick their legs and tense up their bodies. These unconscious physical reactions can contribute to their risk of serious injury. People attempting to stop their fall could suffer soft tissue injuries that affect their strength and range of motion. They may also have pain that is debilitating enough to prevent them from working until their bodies heal.

Traumatic brain injuries

Sometimes, people cannot stop or slow their descent when they fall. They may end up hitting the floor or items near them. Blunt force trauma to the head can cause numerous different symptoms ranging from balance issues and fine motor function challenges to sensory issues and problems with memory. Some people may require surgery after a brain injury, and many others may have lost wages or long-term lost earning potential to consider.

Filing a premises liability lawsuit is often a reasonable response to a slip-and-fall incident that leads to personal injury and financial losses.