Slip and Falls are one of the leading causes of wrongful deaths and brain injuries. Many businesses make their workers wear non-slip shoes to help avoid these accidents. But that doesn’t avert every situation that can occur in a publically accessible area. Slip and falls are a personal injury claim- a case based on a person slipping or tripping and then falling and the injuries occurred because of these things. This falls under a tort law and is based on a claim that the property owner was negligent in allowing some sort of dangerous condition to exist. A tort is a civil wrong which causes someone to suffer a loss or harm. This is usually resolved in the recovery of damages if resulting in a lawsuit.
Results from slip and fall accidents can be injuries, disabilities and possibly death. As reported in 2013 by National Safety Council, “fall from the same level” ($7.94 billion) and “fall to lower level” ($5.35 billion) were the second and third highest injury causes of disabling workplace injuries in 2011.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):
- 65% of fall-related injuries occur as a result of falls from same-level walking surfaces;
- The services, wholesale, and retail trade industries together accounted for over 60% of injuries that resulted from same level falls;
- The manufacturing sector alone accounted for 16 percent of injuries that resulted from same-level falls;
- While same-level falls are more common, elevated falls are often the most serious and cause more severe injuries to a less number of people;
- Over 60% of all elevated falls are from a height of less than 10 feet;
- Over one million Americans suffer a slip, trip, and fall injury every year;
- An estimated 20 – 30% of people who experience a slip and fall will suffer moderate to severe injuries such as bruises, hip fractures, or head injuries;
- The most common fractures that occur from slip and fall accidents are fractures are of the spine, hip, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, and hand;
- Slip and fall accidents are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and these account for 46% of fatal falls among older Americans;
- 1 in 6 of all lost-time work injuries result from slips, trips and falls;
- It is estimated that these injuries result in an average of 11 days away from work;
- Approximately 19,565 people die in the U.S. annually due to injuries caused by unintentional falls;
- Slips, trips and fall injuries account for between 12 and 15 percent of all Workers’ Compensation expenses;
- Slips, trip and fall injuries cost employers approximately $40,000 per incident.
If you have been a part of a slip and fall accident, know what to do, call Tad Morlan.
