Apart from car crashes and natural calamities, a slip-and-fall accident can also land you in the hospital. In fact, each week, dozens of people arrive in emergency rooms after facing a life-and-death situation.
These individuals are often forced to spend thousands of dollars on costly treatments and tests for fractured bones, ruptured tendons, and other severe injuries, leaving them financially burdened. Fortunately, you can recover damages through a personal claim.
Before moving ahead with how to act after an accident, one should develop an understanding of the types of accidents.
Reading through the article will help you understand how an individual can experience a nasty crash due to different situations and how to overcome the problem.
Tripping Over Wet Surfaces
You might not realize that a wet surface could be the cause of a dangerous fall, leading to fractures, broken ribs, or other severe injuries.
This situation may result from an uncleaned spillage or the cleaning team neglecting to seal off the moist area. Since the victim is not responsible for the accident, they may be eligible for compensation in this scenario.
However, it’s essential to hire a premises liability lawyer to support your case. They will prove that your injuries and losses were directly caused by hazardous conditions on the property. Only when the other party’s fault is established will you be entitled to a fair amount of compensation for your suffering.
Tripping on Uneven Surfaces
Offices and buildings can have poorly designed uneven flooring. It might not look harmful, but even a tiny patch of uneven flooring is enough to cause harm to several individuals.
The resulting injuries are not always minor. Often, people end up with permanent scars or injuries that affect their quality of life.
An individual can avoid the situation if management puts up signs to indicate the issue or works on repairing the area.
Stumbling and Falling in Poor Lighting Areas
Stumbling and falling is a common slip-and-fall type that usually occurs when your feet hit something while walking, leading to a loss of balance.
Dark areas make individuals more vulnerable to this type of accident, as the visibility is extremely low. It’s difficult to see where one is walking in dim lights, and you can’t avoid anything blocking your path.
Property owners should ensure each part of their building has proper lighting to avoid mishaps.
Falling Down a Staircase due to Missing Handrails
Several offices, restaurants, and shopping centers have staircases, and these stairs could also become a reason behind your slip and fall injury. If the staircase has a defective or missing handrail, it can result in an individual falling off or losing balance.
That means the chances of sustaining fractures, bruises, and lacerations become higher. At times, people end up with permanent brain injuries or internal bleeding due to the impact of the fall.
Therefore, while using the staircase, ensure the side rails are fully functional and free of flaws.
Anyone experiencing injuries after falling off a flight of stairs, should quickly visit a hospital and get appropriate treatment. Even a slight delay could make matters worse.
Tripping and Falling due to Poor Footwear
Wearing improper shoes can also lead to stumbling and falling. From high heels to poorly fitted or worn-out shoes, any of these options could result in a nasty fall and serious injury.
A person could injure their knees, shoulders, face, or other body parts. The best solution is to wear appropriate footwear at work or other locations.
Especially when it comes to high heels, they should be avoided in offices with uneven flooring. These heels may complement your look but could also lead to unwanted accidents.
Poor Safety Protocols Resulting in Falls
Individuals can also experience injuries if their office premises don’t follow proper safety practices. For example, construction sites failing to follow safety protocols are responsible for any injuries the staff experiences.
It is a company’s responsibility to protect its employees in all situations. Sadly, several organizations fail to implement necessary safety practices and don’t even provide safety gear to their teams.
If you work in an organization that doesn’t care for its employee’s safety, switch to another firm. There is no use in working in an environment where you can easily get harmed.
Conclusion
Slip and fall accidents might not look serious but have a massive impact on your body. From harming your muscles to affecting your ligaments and tendons, even a minor fall can create multiple problems.
Don’t take these accidents lightly. Of course, you can’t predict when you will experience an accident, but at least you can learn these types and take preventive measures in time.
Most importantly, when hurt during one of these situations, focus on your recovery instead of the hospital bills. Your lawyer will make sure you get paid for all your discomfort.
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