7 Most Common Injuries from Slip and Fall Accidents

Every year, more than one million Americans visit the emergency room thanks to a slip and fall accident, and eight million due to non-slip-related falls.

While slips and falls don’t sound all that serious, if you have been in a slip and fall accident, you know firsthand how painful and expensive these mishaps can be.

Not only can you suffer pain and physical and mental damage, but you might also suffer a severe dent to your savings thanks to unavoidable medical costs.

When slip and fall accidents happen in your home, the onus is on you to foot the damages for these. However, if you suffer a slip and fall accident in a public space or at work, you may be able to claim for your injuries.

However, before you do, it is best to get clued in on the most common slip and fall injuries, so that you can successfully gather evidence for your claim. Gathering evidence is one of the most important components of a successful case, so it is vital that you are as informed as possible.

Read on now to find out the most common types of slip and fall injuries.

1. Sprains

One of the most frequent injuries that can occur during a slip and fall accident are sprains. Sprains are a form of soft tissue injury.

These are injuries that happen to soft tissue beneath the skin and can include things like ligament and tendon tears. Both ligament/tendon tears and sprains can be severe, and prevent you from a range of functions such as walking, getting dressed unassisted, typing, or preparing food.

Because sprains and other soft tissue damage can be nearly invisible these types of injuries are often difficult to prove in court if they are not documented by a physician.

Therefore, as soon as you develop any pain that feels like a sprain or ligament issue you should have a health practitioner take a look and make a record of the injury.

2. Broken Bones

Besides soft tissue injuries, a hard fall can also result in broken bones. Some of the most common breaks that occur during a slip and fall are wrist, ankle, and hip fractures. This is because these areas are usually the spots that take the initial impact of the fall.

Fractures and broken bones are serious injuries that can take a long time to heal, incur substantial medical bills, and cause you to be in pain and not be able to carry out normal daily activities.

3. Pulled Muscles and Dislocated Joints

Hard falls can often cause one to pull a muscle, or result in a dislocated joint.

The most common place for a muscle to be pulled during a fall is in the arms, as in most cases you would put out your arms to brace yourself. Bracing your landing can also cause dislocation of the shoulder joints.

In many cases, strains and dislocations in the shoulder require surgery immediately. This can result in substantial medical bills.

4. Bruises

Bruises are common injuries associated with slips and falls and can range from mild to severe. Bruises, in general, do not cause high levels of pain or require costly treatment.

That said, you can still place a claim for a slip and fall accident that caused bruising. The potential payout is based on the severity of the bruising, as well as any impairment the bruising caused you.

If you have sustained bruises from a slip and fall accident, you should photograph them. You should also seek medical attention so that a medical practitioner can diagnose and record the bruise injury.

5. Infections From Cuts

Depending on where you fall, you may also sustain cuts. Falling into something like a glass sliding door, or a window can result in numerous cuts, and some of these can be severe.

Falling against other sharp objects such as tools, kitchen implements, or sharp edges can also cause painful and severe cuts.

Cuts can lead to a further issue of infection. If the surface against which you cut yourself was dirty, the wound was not disinfected promptly, or not cleaned and treated correctly during the healing process, varying degrees of infection can set in.

Cuts and resulting infections can be included in your injury claim providing they are well documented and you can provide evidence of them.

6. Nerve and Spine Damage

A very serious injury that can transpire during slip and fall accidents is nerve and spinal column damage.

Spine and nerve damage can occur from blunt force (such as landing hard on your back or a limb), stretched muscles, or from a deep cut.

Severe spinal damage can result in partial or full paralysis, and nerve damage can lead to a loss of feeling and/or function in affected body parts. Nerve and spine damage can often be treated, however, in some cases, the damage might be permanent.

Nerve damage and spinal injuries can be highly debilitating, and treatment costs often range anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million.

Because of the cost and severity of nerve and spine damage, if you sustain this type of injury at work or in a public space you should seek legal help immediately to assist you in claiming for your losses.

7. Traumatic Brain Injury

If you suffer an impact to the head during a slip and fall accident, this can result in traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries can also be caused by a hard impact to the body as a whole, meaning your head does not need to make contact with anything for a traumatic brain injury to occur.

A common example of this is concussion which is classified as a mild form of traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries, no matter how mild, need to be treated immediately, otherwise, patients can suffer debilitating symptoms including headaches, blackouts, dizziness, nausea, and seizures.

As with all slip and accident injuries, you must seek medical attention immediately, and document as much proof as possible of the injury if you need to make a claim.

Claiming for Slip and Fall Accidents

Do you need to claim for one of the above injuries? If so, after getting medical attention and tending to your injuries, we advise that you seek out the assistance of a personal injury lawyer. Experienced lawyers will be able to help you navigate your claim successfully, from start to finish.

This is especially important in the case of slip and fall accidents, as it’s crucial that you collate thorough proof of your injuries and follow correct claims procedure.

If you need legal assistance for your claim, we further recommend that you take a look at our personal injury legal services.

Why is this?

Well, we require no upfront fees or consultation costs, and we only bill for our services if your claim is successful. This means you won’t have to pay so much as a dime from your own pocket at any point during the legal process.

We have won our clients over $5 million in slip and fall accident claims and are available 24/7. Call us today to discuss your case.