Types Of Slip And Fall Injury
Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common kind of accidents in America and results in more than 17,000 deaths annually. Typically any injury caused by tripping, slipping and falling due to badly maintained surfaces is covered under the Slip and Fall Injury Act. Let us look at the most common kinds of slip and fall accidents caused and injuries resulting from these accidents..
What the common types are of slip and fall accidents?
Most slipping accidents takes place when you slip on some liquid or a slippery object on the ground. This causes your foot to move forward abruptly and you tend to loose your balance, most likely falling backwards. Incase you trip on an object lying in your way, you might fall forward. Either of these falls can cause mild to grave injuries. Surface accidents also include ones resulting from faulty staircases or uneven steps.
Apart from these surface related accidents, other slip and fall accidents include mishaps in faulty elevators, fall into open manholes etc. In some cases dog bites and animal attacks are also included under the definition.
Premises liability injury includes all the mishaps that occur when a victim is visiting the property owned by another individual or establishment. This would include slips and falls as well as any objects falling on the victim, causing injury. This kind of accident is especially common in retail outlets like supermarkets and home improvement stores.
Another common type of accident, especially in construction sites is falling from heights. Any such fall usually results in serious injuries.
What are the common injuries due to slip and fall accidents?
A slip and fall injury can vary in intensity. It can range from simple cuts, bruises and sprain to severe brain, spinal cord, backbone, back, muscle or organ injury. Many cases of these accidents are reported to have caused long term medical complications, incapacitation or even death.
Some statistics around slip and fall accidents:
- As per reports released by Center of Disease Control, more than 15,000 elderly people (age 65 and above) died of slip and fall injuries in 2005 alone in North America.
- More than 1.8 million elderly people were admitted in emergency rooms from injuries related to these kind of accidents
- In 2006, an average of $189,000 was awarded as compensation by various juries.
- In cases of death or fatal accidents at workplaces, the average loss of the victim's family is estimated at $940,000 apart from the trauma.
- These types of accidents at workplace leads to total loss of 104 million lost workdays every year in America alone.
- The slip and fall accidents at workplaces kill more people than all other occupational hazard factors combined together.