Falls are a common form of injury. The National Safety Council says more than 8 million people were treated in emergency rooms for fall-related injuries in 2019, and 39,443 people died in falls at home and at work. The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) says 303 people in Kentucky died from falls in 2018, and another 11,979 required hospitalization after a fall.
Slip and fall accidents that lead to serious injury can happen anywhere to anyone. The KIPRC’s report published in February 2021 says falls were the leading cause of emergency room visits for nearly every age group except for 18-24-year-olds, for whom falls were exceeded only by motor vehicle accidents.
If your fall happens on someone else’s property, you may be eligible to seek compensation for your medical bills, missed time from work, or more. Property owners have a legal obligation to ensure their buildings and grounds are safe for lawful visitors. If they neglect safety concerns or fail to provide adequate warning of foreseeable hazards, they may be held accountable for slip and fall accidents.
In Lexington, KY, phone (877) 809-5352 to find out how the Lexington slip and fall lawyers at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer can help you. An initial consultation is always free.
Most Common Causes of Slip And Fall Accidents
The KIRPC report, Kentucky Injury Indicators 2018, lists unintentional falls that led to fatalities, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits.
Among fatal falls, which happen mostly to the elderly, the most common types of falls reported were:
- Falls on the same level to the floor or ground – 29%
- Falls on or from stairs or steps – 7%
- Falls from furniture or a wheelchair – 5%
- Falls from heights – 4%
- Fall from one level to another – 3%
The nature of most fatal falls (52%) was unspecified.
Falls leading to hospitalization included:
- Falls to the same level from slipping, tripping, or stumbling – 29%
- Falls on stairs – 7%
- Falls from furniture – 6%
- Falls from one level to another – 3%
- Falls from or on a ladder – 2%
- Falls due to ice or snow – 2%
- Falls from a nonmoving wheelchair or nonmotorized scooter – 2%
- Falls from, out of, or through a building or structure – 1%
Falls treated at an emergency room but not requiring hospitalization included:
- Falls to the same level from slipping, tripping, or stumbling – 28%
- Other slipping, tripping, or stumbling falls – 13%
- Falls from or on stairs – 9%
- Falls from furniture – 7%
- Falls from one level to another – 6%
- Falls due to ice or snow – 2%
- Falls from or on a ladder – 2%
- Falls on or from playground equipment – 1%
Unspecified falls (28%) and other falls (3%) also led to ER visits.
In most cases reported, the individual slipped, tripped, and/or fell to the floor or ground. People also fall on stairs and steps, from furniture and ladders, and on ice and snow. Children fall from playground equipment. Falls from heights such as ladders or scaffolds often cause fatal injuries.
Where do Most Slip and Falls Occur?
You could slip and fall at any time, no matter your age or health. We typically see clients whose slip-and-fall accidents have happened in parking lots or on the premises of:
- Grocery stores, department stores, big-box stores, malls, convenience stores, boutiques, and other retail establishments
- Restaurants
- Motels and hotels, including hotel banquet/meeting facilities
- Banks, government offices and other worksites and office buildings
- Theaters, stadiums, and arenas
- Parks and playgrounds
- Hospitals, doctors’ offices, clinics, and other medical centers
- Apartment and condominium complexes
- Retirement and nursing homes, where residents often fall
- Private homes.
People slip, trip and fall because of:
- Wet and slippery floors caused by spills or tracked-in rain and snow, or by mopping, waxing, buffing.
- Cluttered aisles, floors, and walkways
- Loose carpets, rugs, mats, floorboards, tiles, or paving stones that shift or slide when stepped on
- Tears and holes in carpets, rugs, mats, floorboards, and linoleum that trip people
- Broken or loose stairs, stair treads, or handrails that give way with the weight of users
- Unguarded or unmarked potholes in parking lots or yards
- Poor lighting in walkways, stairwells, or parking garages
- Malfunctioning elevators and escalators that start or stop abruptly or stop misaligned with floors or landings.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident
If you slip or trip and fall and are injured in a public place, such as at a grocery store, an office building, or a theater, you should report the injury to management, orally and in writing. Get the owner’s contact information. You should see a doctor right away. The property owner needs to know about the hazard and your accident, and you need to have your injuries treated. But these contacts also document the fall and injury in case you have a slip-and-fall accident claim.
A slip-and-fall accident claim may be possible if:
- You were injured in a fall on someone else’s property
- You had a legal right to be on the property
- The owner neglected their duty of safety to visitors to their premises
- The harm you suffered is a result of the property owner’s negligence.
An example would be a fall at a grocery store caused by a hazard, such as a broken bottle of juice. If the staff had had reasonable time to discover the spill but had failed to clean it up or post a warning to avoid the spill, then the store may be considered negligent for injuries that occur.
You should document everything you can about a slip-and-fall injury with photos and written notes, receipts from medical visits, and speak to a slip and fall accident attorney. An attorney can advise you and, if there is potential for a claim, move to secure evidence, investigate, and file a claim on your behalf.
Contact a Kentucky Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer
If you have been injured in a fall accident on someone else’s property in Kentucky, contact Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer as soon as possible. Our slip and fall lawyers can assess your potential claim in a free and confidential meeting. If our investigation indicates negligence on the property owner’s part, we’ll press hard for compensation for you.
It takes courage to stand up and say you were wronged by some company’s negligence. Let us back your Kentucky Courage with ours. Contact us now at (877) 809-5352 or online to get started on your claim for compensation you are due today.
