What You Should Know About Pennsylvania Slip, Trip and Fall Accidents
According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 6.4 million people are injured in a slip, trip, or fall (STF) accident each year. Over 8 million hospital emergency room visits are due to falls.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents
- The reports that 55 percent of all slip and fall accidents are caused by hazardous walking surfaces.
- Failure to maintain streets, sidewalks, and steps in hazardous weather conditions can result in slip and fall accidents.
- Slick surfaces or cluttered pathways in the work area can cause slip and fall accidents.
Slips, trips, and falls are not to be taken lightly as injuries can be quite severe.
- Slip and falls account for over 300,000 disabling injuries per year in North America.
- Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
- STF can cause back injuries, sprains, contusions, fractures, severe head injuries, paralysis, and fatalities.
For the person that has slipped, tripped, or fallen, costs are not limited to dollars. Depending on the severity of the injury from a fall, quality of life may be impacted by pain, temporary or permanent disability, depression, and death.
Who is liable?
Slip and fall injuries are personal injuries that fall under the category of premises liability. Premises liability refers to the legal duty of a property owner to maintain the safety of his property. If a property owner fails to maintain the property and an individual sustains injuries, the owner may be liable.
Most premises liability injury cases depend on whether it can be proved that the property owner knew there was a hazard prior to someone being injured and was not sufficiently diligent in remedying it.
What you should do after a Slip, Trip or Fall?
- Get Medical Attention. It is essential to get medical attention and obtain in writing, a professional diagnosis of any injuries initially caused by the fall.
- Write down when and how the injury happened while the incident is still fresh in your mind.
- Identify any Witnesses. Be sure to get down the names, addresses, and phone numbers of anyone in the area of where the accident occurred.
- File an Accident Report. Fill out an accident report and notify a manager of the premises if the incident occurred in a store or place of business.
- Take pictures of the accident scene.
If a slip, trip or fall accident happens to you, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys of Goldberg, Persky and White to learn how we can help you today!
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