Falls Are No Laughing Matter

Often, personal injury claims resulting from slip and falls get a lot of scrutiny by the public. Many of us have seen video footage depicting an unscrupulous person faking a fall in a retail establishment to try to manufacture a personal injury claim. Thankfully, there is video surveillance to help remove these bad apples.

However, slip and fall or trip and fall cases often result in very serious injuries and sometimes even death. Some alarming facts bear this out:

Slip and falls account for over one million hospital emergency room visits annually;

Slip and falls are most common type of accident that result in employees missing work;

Half of all accidental deaths at home are caused by falls;

For people over 85 years old, falls are one of the leading causes of death;

Over 50% of nursing home residents experience a fall each year;

Falls cause 40% of all nursing home admissions; and
Falls are the single most common cause of workers compensation injuries.

Obviously, slip and falls must be taken seriously. Stores and other establishments open to the public must be vigilant in their efforts to remove fall hazards. In providing compensation for people injured in such falls, our justice system also serves the important function of raising businesses’ awareness of the importance in reducing fall hazards.

Common causes of falls include; water or other slippery substances on a floor (often shortly after mopping without warning signs being used); shelving too close to a floor that can catch a person’s foot; floor mats that are folded over; and potholes in parking lots or sidewalks. In nursing homes, falls often occur as a result of a lack of proper supervision or assistance when residents are transferring from a bed, chair or commode.

If you have suffered personal injury as a result of a fall, trip or slip and fall, please contact our Jacksonville slip and fall lawyers.