Slip and Fall Injuries: Overview and 5 Examples
Written by Cooper & Friedman PLLC on May 25, 2017
The scariest thing about slip and fall injuries is that they can happen to anyone. Regardless of your age, your capability, or agility – a slip and fall accident can occur and seriously injure you. Slip and fall injuries are most common in supermarkets, parking lots, residential areas, public property, and in the workplace.
When a slip and fall accident occurs, injuries can range from minor bumps and bruising to serious injuries that require hospital time and, occasionally, surgery to repair the damage. Sometimes slip and fall injuries can be fatal. More than 2 million slip and fall injuries that occur every year are the result of flooring issues according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
5 Examples of Slip and Fall Injuries from an Injury Attorney
One of the best ways to avoid a slip and fall injury is to be aware of what situations are most likely to lead to an accident. Below we’ve outlined five examples of slip and fall injuries and where they are most likely to occur.
1. Falling in the Supermarket
Many slip and fall injuries occur in the supermarket or grocery store. The falls are usually due to unattended liquid spills on the slick tile. Recently, numerous injuries have occurred from the automatic misters spraying water onto the floor in front of the produce section instead of on the produce and causing the floor to become slippery. An extreme example includes a 2008 case where a man shopping at his local grocery store slipped on a piece of crushed fruit and fell onto his back injuring his spinal cord. It is important to be aware of where you’re stepping and what is in your path in shopping areas despite being in a hurry, so that you can avoid being a victim of a slip and fall injury.
2. Falling in a Poorly Lit Parking Lot
Falling in a poorly lit parking lot is more common than a lot of people think. Parking lots that are large and only lit close to the building are cause for slip and fall injuries. These may include malls and airports, and restaurant parking lots where a lot of curbs are present to organize parking. In 2007, a Kentucky woman fell at a Speedway after stepping on a depressed area in the parking lot. The case settled in 2010 during a bench trial, but reopened and passed to the Supreme Court for reevaluation.
3. Falling on a Residential Sidewalk
In most states, residential sidewalks are the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain whether used by the public or not. In states where this is applicable, maintenance requires shoveling snow from the sidewalk when it is covered and salting the sidewalk when it is icy. When a slip and fall injury occurs on a residential sidewalk due to ice, snow, or uneven pavement – it is considered the fault of the homeowner, and they are liable for any damages that occur. Right now states are working to clarify their laws regarding maintaining residential sidewalks due to a rise in slip and fall injuries from residential sidewalk issues.
4. Falling on Unmaintained Public Property
Years back, a female motorist stopped at a rest area owned and operated by the state she was passing through. The pathway to the rest area was a concrete slab sidewalk and one portion of the sidewalk was unmaintained. The motorist tripped over the raised portion of the sidewalk after catching her toe and ended up breaking her arms. While the state was responsible for paying for damages caused to her by the unmaintained property – after another year, they still had neglected to fix the issue that caused all the damage initially.
5. Falling at a Job
Most people think that if they take a fall on a job that they are only eligible for worker’s compensation after the injury; however, that is not entirely true and under the right circumstances, worker’s also have the right to seek reparations for slip and fall injuries under the law. This is namely in cases where equipment meant to protect workers is not up-to-code, broken, or non-existent. When accepting a job, be sure to be aware of what is covered under worker’s compensation, so that if you are injured in an accident that is eligible for damages due to a slip and fall injury then you are able to collect.
Slip and fall injuries can occur at any moment and anywhere without warning. By being aware of your surroundings and what’s underfoot, you are more likely than not to avoid serious injury. Because of the unexpected nature of slip and fall accidents, it is important to understand who is responsible in case you are the victim of an accident and have slip and fall injuries that need medical care.
If you or someone you love has sustained slip and fall injuries from an accident and have proof, witness, or cause to think you are deserving of damages, contact the Law Office of Cooper & Friedman at 502-459-7555 to talk with an experienced slip and fall attorney. Since 1991, Cooper & Friedman PLLC has successfully collected millions for seriously injured people in Kentucky and Southern, Indiana.