Most people think of a slip-and-fall accident as a minor incident. This perception is undoubtedly the result of years of film comedy implying that people can get right back up after a fall. While many people, including young adults and children, can rebound quickly after a slip and fall, not everyone is so lucky.
In fact, the older people are, the more likely they are to suffer serious injuries when they slip and fall. Sometimes, those injuries can prove life-altering. Regardless of your age, if you got hurt after slipping on the floor or in the parking lot of a business, you may have the legal right to pursue a premises liability claim against that company.
What is premises liability?
For those who aren’t familiar with the term premises liability, it basically means the liability that results from allowing other people onto your property. Whether you rent a property or own it, when you allow other people into or onto that property, there is an inherent risk that someone could suffer an injury.
Generally speaking, the law is very clear. Business owners and property managers are responsible for injuries that happen on their premises, especially if negligence played into the injury. Many times, there could be standing water due to a spill or a leak. Other times, uncleared ice and snow could make the area slippery. Even too much wax applied to a floor could make it unsafe for people to walk on.
Regardless of what form of fall you experienced, if you have reason to believe that negligence played a role, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. This is particularly true if you suffered severe injuries in the fall.
Slip-and-fall accidents can lead to debilitating injuries
When someone slips and then falls, the end result is often much more than a bruised bottom and sore ego. Instead, the consequences could include broken bones, deep tissue contusions, spinal cord injuries and even traumatic brain injuries. The exact injuries a person suffers will depend on how they slipped, as well as what they hit when they fell.
It is common for people to crack their heads against fixtures in a building or the floor during a fall. That could very easily result in a traumatic brain injury or even a fracture of the skull. Many people also flail their arms when falling, which could result in broken bones and pinched nerves.
These kinds of injuries often require expensive medical care. They may also keep you from going back to work for some time. A premises liability lawsuit will allow you to collect compensation that will offset the financial losses you experienced as the result of someone else’s neglect in maintaining their property.
