Philadelphia Slip and Fall Lawyer

How Often Slip and Fall Accidents Happen

Unlike a car accident, a slip and fall accident can often feel embarrassing. At that moment, you’re extremely vulnerable and rely on others to come to your aid. You should not feel embarrassed, especially if someone else’s neglect caused the accident. Data collected by the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) reveals the following alarming statistics about falls:

• Falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits, representing the leading cause of visits (21.3%). Slips and falls account for over 1 million visits or 12% of total falls.
• Fractures are the most severe consequences of falls, occurring in 5% of all people who fall.
• Slips and falls are the leading cause of workers’ compensation claims and are the leading cause of occupational injury for people aged 55 years and older.
• Of all fractures from falls, hip fractures are the most serious and lead to the greatest health problems and number of deaths. The following statistics describe the slip-and-fall crisis affecting our nation’s elderly.
• Each year in the United States, one of every three persons over the age of 65 experiences a fall, half of whom are repeat fallers.
• Half of all elderly adults hospitalized for hip fractures cannot return home or live independently after the fracture.
• Compensation & medical costs associated with employee slip and fall accidents are approximately $70 billion annually.

Establishing an injury claim following a fall can be complicated. That is why you need to speak with a Philadelphia slip and fall attorney who understands the laws and has successfully litigated these exact types of incidents.

How Were You Injured in Your Accident?

In a slip and fall accident, you essentially fall forward or backward. In either scenario, you could suffer a range of injuries, from minor to severe. The medical attention you receive and your recovery time will be factors in determining your level of damages. Which of the following injuries were caused in your accident?

Bone Fractures and Sprains

Bone fractures and sprains are very common in slip and fall accidents, especially with your wrists and arms, which you might use to break your fall. You might also experience breaks or trauma to your hips, ankles, feet, knees, nose, jaw, or pelvis.

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)

Your spinal cord is the conduit that transmits signals from your brain throughout your body. In a fall accident, your spinal cord could become compressed, pinched, or severed. That can lead to various degrees of paralysis requiring intense physical therapy.

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Concussions

If you take a fall from a bike while wearing a helmet, your chances of incurring a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are significantly reduced. Without that helmet, you can be subjected to a TBI or concussion in a fall. These types of injuries can manifest in a loss of sensation, chronic pain, personality changes, or challenges with speaking.

How Your Philadelphia Slip and Fall Lawyer Establishes Your Legal Rights

One of the first things your slip and fall lawyer in Philadelphia needs to establish in a slip and fall accident claim is if you have a legal right to be on the property where the incident occurred. In most instances, you would have been either a licensee or an invitee. This is what those classifications mean:

Invitee

An invitee is someone who comes onto a premises for a transaction that is of economic benefit for the property owner. In simple terms, this means you are a customer at a store, restaurant, or other venue. That invitation to visit the premises is either direct or indirect. You don’t need to be invited to go grocery shopping, but the fact that the store is open for business means you are an invitee. The owner of the property owes the highest duty of care to invitees to create a safe environment for them to conduct their business in.

Licensee

A licensee is legally allowed on a property but not there to conduct business. Consider this group to be social guests visiting a home or apartment. They can also be law enforcement officers or postal workers. The owners of properties where licensees are permitted owe them a reasonable duty of care to warn them about potential hazards, such as a sign posted about a dog or telling them in advance that the front porch steps might be slippery.

The only category of a visitor who is not entitled to a duty of care is a trespasser. This could be someone who is taking a shortcut through the property or entering the property to commit a crime. As long as the property owner does not intentionally harm the trespasser, that person cannot make a claim if they are injured.

The exception to the trespasser category pertains to children who might wander onto a property and get hurt from falling into a pool or playing on something that shouldn’t play on. Those instances are referred to as attractive nuisances, and the property owner could be held liable. The way to avoid that is to make sure your property is secured with a fence and gate.