Every year, millions of Americans end up in the emergency room because of a slip and fall injury. In the blink of an eye, life changes. Slip and fall injuries are the leading cause of worker’s compensation claims, and the second most common cause of unintentional death.
Some trip and fall injuries are minor, causing only bruising or mild abrasions. Even if you feel like you’ll heal quickly on your own, it’s always best to see a doctor just to be sure. Here are the most frequently occurring slip and fall injuries.
Slip and Fall Injuries – Hip Fractures
A slip and fall can lead to a broken hip at any age, but the risk goes up for people over 55. People over 85 years old are 10-15 times more likely to break a hip when they fall than individuals just 20 years younger.
Hip fractures are one of the most serious types of slip and fall injuries, because they usually require surgery, possibly an artificial hip implant and a lengthy recovery. If you break a hip when you fall, you might have to stay in the hospital for several days, then follow up with rehabilitation.
Not only does that throw your life off track, there’s a lot of pain involved. To get better, you need extensive medical care and that costs money. If your slip and fall injury was due to someone else’s negligence or direct action, they should compensate you for what you’re going through.
Head Injuries
If you hit your head when you fall, see your doctor right away or get checked out at an emergency or urgent care facility. There’s really no such thing as a minor head injury, and if issues go undetected, the repercussions could last the rest of your life.
If you experience swelling, bleeding or you lose consciousness, seek medical attention even faster. You could have a concussion or traumatic brain injury. Both sometimes only have only minor symptoms at first, so you may not know how seriously you’re hurt.
If your head didn’t strike a surface, but you were violently jarred or jolted, you could still have a brain injury. Talk to a specialist about what you experienced soon after the slip and fall occurs.
Neck, Back and Spinal Cord Injuries
If you experienced a slip and fall injury, you already know your body is more fragile than you realized before the accident occurred. Parts of your anatomy you never really thought about now cause pain that keeps you from enjoying everyday life.
When your neck, back or spinal cord experience sudden jarring, twisting or impact, so many things can go wrong. You might suffer from the following:
- Fractured vertebrae
- Slipped or herniated discs
- Permanent or temporary paralysis
- Neurologic or other sensory impairment
- Brachial plexus injury
- Bruising and swelling
- Chronic back pain
The damage might require extensive treatment before your life can get back to normal. For some people, the damage is permanent, the pain chronic. When it happens and it could have been avoided, we’ll fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
Damaged Extremities
When you slip, your hands and feet are the most likely parts of you to come in contact with the ground or other hard surfaces. You could experience cuts, bruises and swelling. Or, you might have broken fingers, sprained wrists and damaged ankles. Forearms, hands, toes and feet are commonly fractured in slip and fall injuries.
Soft tissue injuries aren’t visible to the eye. You might have sprained your ankle or wrist, or torn ligaments and tendons. If you don’t get treatment soon after the accident, your recovery process could be more complicated, plus it’s harder to connect your injury to what happens should you decide to file a lawsuit.
Knee Injury or Elbow Injury
You might also have hit or wrenched your knees and elbows. If you feel pain, go to the doctor. Just because you can move something doesn’t mean you don’t have an injury that will heal faster with treatment.
If you were hurt in a slip and fall accident, Monsour Law Firm attorneys are here to help. Read more about what to do after a slip and fall accident, or schedule your free consultation with a personal injury attorney today.