10 Slip and Fall Accident Statistics

Statistics about slip and fall accidents can be a helpful way to understand the causes and consequences of slip and fall accidents. There are also things that you can learn from slip and fall statistics about how the legal system works and what you need to do to protect your rights. Slip and fall accidents impact millions of people each year. Our slip and fall attorneys explain 10 slip and fall statistics, and what legal tips you can learn from these statistics.

1. Emergency rooms treat three million seniors for falls each year

Getting the emergency room treatment that you need right after a slip and fall accident goes a long way in helping you get the compensation that you deserve. Emergency room treatment establishes a timeline for when the accident occurred. It’s the first step in proving that your injuries are the result of the accident. When you have injuries in a slip and fall accident, you should absolutely seek immediate medical care. Seeking medical care as soon as possible helps you physically and legally as you begin the long road to recovery.

2. 95% of hip fractures occur because of slip and fall accidents

Hip fractures happen because of slip and fall accidents more often than from any other cause.^[1] A hip fracture is a serious injury. When a hip fracture occurs because of the negligence of another party, the victim has a right to compensation for their medical expenses as well as for nursing care, home care, and replacement costs for household services. When a hip fracture occurs, there’s a good chance that a slip and fall accident is the cause.

3. Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injuries result from falls more than from other types of accidents. When a traumatic brain injury occurs, it’s critical to have medical professionals evaluate your injuries. The injuries that result from head trauma can often be much worse than they initially appear. In addition, it’s important to have medical experts give you a sound, personalized treatment plan. Traumatic brain injury can create a challenge from a legal compensation perspective because of the uncertainty of recovery. You need to work carefully with medical experts to project your current and future costs and needs.

4. According to the Center for Disease Control, poor footwear can make you more likely to have a slip and fall accident

Footwear is critical to preventing a slip and fall. An employer should be careful to ensure that employees work with appropriate footwear. If an accident occurs, and the victim isn’t wearing adequate footwear for the activity involved, the defense may claim comparative negligence. When an accident occurs, it’s important to note the footwear that the victim is wearing at the time of the accident.

5. Broken and uneven steps contribute to slip and fall injuries

Broken and uneven steps may be an example of negligence.^[2] A business has to keep steps in working condition. Broken steps can make the business legally liable to the victim when a slip and fall occurs. Photographs, an inspection of the accident scene, and eyewitness testimony can all prove the condition of the steps at the time of the accident.

6. Slip and fall accidents are the leading cause of workers’ compensation claims

If you’re an employee and you’re hurt because of a slip and fall accident, you may deserve workers’ compensation. However, workers’ compensation may not be your only avenue of recovery. You may also deserve compensation from a third-party in a traditional negligence claim.

In a negligence claim, you may often receive types of compensation that are not available in a workers’ compensation case. Even if workers’ compensation is your sole avenue for financial recovery, it’s still wise to speak with an attorney about your claim. Getting the amount of compensation that you deserve isn’t automatic; an attorney should review your claim to ensure that you have full and complete compensation for your work-related injury.

7. Half of elderly adults ages 65 and older can’t return to independent living after a slip and fall hip fracture

When you’re hurt in an accident, you have the right to claim the total of your damages. Your damages are unique to you. If you need living assistance because of a slip and fall accident, your costs are a part of your legal claim.

It doesn’t matter if you’re of advanced age or particularly susceptible to injuries. It’s your injuries that count, whatever they may be. The legal saying is that a tortfeasor takes their victim as they find them.^[3] That just means that the defendant is legally liable for the full extent of the victim’s damages even if the victim’s injuries are relatively serious compared to injuries in other slip and fall cases.

8. Fractures account for 5% of slip and fall injuries

There are many different types of slip and fall injuries. You don’t have to have a bone fracture to have a valid slip and fall claim. Injuries from slip and fall accidents are diverse and unique. Any type of injury may give rise to a valid slip and fall claim.

9. The average cost of a slip and fall is between $30,000 and $40,000

Some people think that to bring a slip and fall legal claim, you must have a case that’s worth millions of dollars. That just isn’t true. Most slip and fall cases are worth a more modest $30,000-$40,000. Our dedicated attorneys can help you pursue justice and full compensation, whatever the value of your case.

10. Medical costs for slip and fall treatment totals more than $50 billion per year. Medicare and Medicaid programs pay about 75% of all costs

If you can’t afford your medical treatment and you don’t have insurance, you have options. Your medical care providers may treat you on the condition that they get paid directly from the proceeds of your legal claim. Legal precedent varies as to the impact of health insurance or car insurance on the amount of damages for a slip and fall claim. Our experienced slip and fall attorneys can help you understand the impact that insurance may have on your claim for compensation.

Call Our Slip and Fall Attorneys

Were you in a slip and fall accident? Our experienced slip and fall attorneys are standing by to talk to you about your case.

Sources

[1] Important Facts about Falls. (10 February 2017). Retrieved 11 December 2019 from https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html

[2] Slip & Fall Quick Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 December 2019 from https://nfsi.org/nfsi-research/quick-facts/.

[3] Castelino v. Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech., Cause No. 2:17-cv-139-WTL-MJD