The average person has a dismissive attitude about slip-and-fall situations. They presume that someone who loses their balance and falls to the ground won’t suffer major injuries unless they fall when at the top of the stairs.
While the average person who falls because of a spill in the grocery store or a wrinkled rug at the entrance of a movie theater may only have minor injuries, like bruises, other people will suffer more serious injuries. Older adults, those with underlying medical conditions and those who fall particularly hard might actually suffer a significant injury that will have long-term health consequences.
Some injuries that can develop because of a slip-and-fall will require medical care and may even affect someone’s employment. What are the worst injuries that commonly occur in slip-and-fall situations?
Traumatic brain injuries
Falling is one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Some people who develop brain injuries fall from a significant elevation, but others fall at the same level because they slip. Slip-and-falls where someone hits their head can cause trauma to the brain.
The symptoms of a TBI might include changes in personality, memory issues and even motor control problems. Some people who developed TBIs because of a fall will no longer be able to work the same job because of their symptoms, and those with significant symptoms may have thousands of dollars in medical care costs.
Broken bones
People can save themselves from a brain injury by catching themselves when they fall, but their attempt to break their fall prior to impact could lead to a different injury. The force of the fall could easily cause a fracture or broken bone.
Broken bones can lead to emergency medical care and even surgery when the break is particularly bad. A fracture might require someone in a blue-collar profession to take eight weeks or longer off of work until the bone knits. Older adults and those with underlying medical conditions have an increased risk of multiple fractures or uneven breaks that could lead to lasting symptoms and possibly a requirement for surgery.
Realizing that a slip-and-fall could give rise to expensive injuries may inspire you to notify the business that you fell and to pursue an injury claim for your expenses.
