Research shows that potential injuries caused by slip and fall accidents in the United States account for nine million hospital visits each year. It’s important to understand some of the specific injuries that can result from such accidents, which may prompt you to contact an attorney.
These injuries aren’t always immediately visible. Often, victims don’t realize they’ve sustained them until some time after the accident. These injuries include wrist and ankle sprains, as well as serious tears within the ligaments and tendons. If not treated in time, they can result in chronic pain and increase your long-term susceptibility to additional injuries. Even if you don’t feel immediate pain after slipping and falling, you should still get a medical checkup to identify potential soft tissue damage.
Bruises and Cuts
While these injuries might look bad, they are usually superficial, certainly not as serious when compared to less obvious injuries, such as soft tissue damage. Depending on the height you slip and fall from, as well as the objects on the ground, and terrain, beneath you, likely injuries might include abrasions along the arms and legs, as well as the hip or head. If you land on hard ice, you may even escape without any cuts. Most of these injuries may be treated with topical treatment and or stitches.
Damage to the Knees
Anyone who follows or participates in sporting activity has probably heard of ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury) and MCL (Medical Collateral Ligament) injuries. These are injuries to the knees which commonly occur as the result of twisting while falling. As the human knee is comprised of a complex arrangement of ligaments and bones, any damage sustained to them can take months, even years to heal, and if the patella is dislocated, it might be necessitate to complete reconstruction to the knee.
Shattered Bones
These injuries are generally sustained after falling from height. An example of such an accident would be if a construction worker were to fall from a ladder onto a concrete floor. Winter conditions can lead to work equipment being less sturdy. The height of the ladder and the resulting impact onto a hard surface can easily lead to shattered bones, the most common of which are to the ankle, wrist, and hip. Bones tend to weaken with age, which means that older people have a greater chance of suffering from shattered bones, as compared to their younger counterparts.
Traumatic Cerebral Injury
This is one of the most life-threatening injuries that one can sustain, because of slipping and falling. At a minimum, it might just be some bumps and bruises on the head, but there is also a serious risk of concussion and in more severe cases, could result in factures to the skull, as well as subarachnoid hemorrhage. The effect of such injuries can be long lasting, and gravely impact one’s ability to function, causing long-term medical issues such as seizures and loss motor function.
Back or Spinal Injuries
These injuries can be just as serious those involving the brain. In the most severe cases, the impact from the fall might cause fractures to the vertebrae or a herniated disc, which not only causes terrible pain, but also restricts mobility. Depending on the extent of the damage, those who sustain them might become temporarily, or even permanently paralyzed, as well as potentially losing their life. If the injured person is 65 or above, the chances of serious or fatal injury is even higher.