A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help After a Slip and Fall
Feb. 26, 2016
Many people think that personal injury is one of the easiest forms of the law there is to understand. When someone causes you harm, whether on purpose or through negligent actions, the courts may find them to have liability. This is what personal injury is all about: you get hurt because of someone else, and they are responsible for your injuries. There are many kinds of personal injury situations, the most common of which are the slip and fall injuries. According to statistics put out by the National Safety Council, slip and fall injuries are the most common way people get injured in the United States today. Each year, emergency rooms around the country will treat roughly 2.5 million people from injuries springing from a slip and fall. While many of these are personal carelessness, there is a substantial number that are a direct result of someone else’s carelessness. In cases like this, you need a personal injury attorney.
The thing to realize is that there are two very important principles at play in a slip and fall accident. First, there exists the reality of gravity. We are designed to walk erect on two feet. When our feet are taken out from under us, we no longer have a stable base from which to resist gravity and are quickly pulled to the ground. The impact of a human falling is magnified because we are falling in complete control of gravity, thereby increasing the potential for a personal injury. The second factor at play is the sudden stop at the end of a slip and fall. The human body hitting concrete or some other hard substance in a fall will experience trauma. Older people are more likely to experience a higher level of trauma because their bones are more brittle and their skin may be more prone to injury. Regardless of age, a slip and fall may result in injury.
There are numerous ways you can hurt yourself if you fall, making it critical that you speak with a personal injury attorney if you have been hurt in a fall. Ninety-five percent of hip injuries treated in the United States are as a direct result of a fall. The reason why hip injuries are significant is because they perfectly illustrate the damage a fall can do, and are the reason why you need a personal injury attorney. When you fall and break your hip, you are virtually guaranteed to be out of the loop for a while. This may mean no ability to work, exercise, or earn a living while your hip heals. Mending the bone and the follow-up physical therapy typically takes months, during which time you may be entitled to compensation if the slip and fall were caused by someone else and their negligence. Other common injuries that I see in slip and falls include:
Back and spinal cord injuries: These include paralysis, slip or herniated disks, vertebra damage, and much more.
Head injuries: According to the CDC, the most common reason for head injuries are falls with trauma to the head.
To discuss your injury, call and schedule a consultation with my office.