3 Most Common Types Of Slip And Fall Accidents

A slip and fall personal injury can occur while visiting someone’s home, attending school, working on the job site, shopping in the supermarket, or walking on the sidewalk. A slip and fall caused by wet floors, icy sidewalks and parking lots, spilled grease, uneven walking surfaces, and cluttered walkways can cause serious personal injury.

Slip and fall cases fall under the class of cases known as “premises liability” claims because they involve a personal injury on property that the owner was under a duty to maintain.

When the property owner breaches his or her duty to maintain workplace safety and a personal injury results, the injured party should consult a personal injury lawyer. A slip and fall claim arises when a city does not properly maintain it sidewalks or when a store does not dutifully clean its aisles. AZ Hometown Lawyers have the knowledge and experience to recover compensation for slip and fall victims from negligent property owners, negligent businesses leasing property, and insurance companies. Below are the top 3 leading cause of slip and falls.

Slip on a foreign substance

When a person slips on ice, snow, water, oil, or another foreign substance, they can find themselves with a slip and fall injury in seconds. In these types of slip and fall accidents, the most important thing a person can do to support their case is gather evidence of the foreign substance that caused their accident. Getting photos of the scene as it existed at the time of your fall is one of the single most important pieces of evidence you can collect in support of your personal injury case. Without gathering this evidence, the case becomes one of your word against the word of the property owner.

Slip and fall on stairs

Stairs can be dangerous, and this rings particularly true when stairs are unkempt, broken, or without handrails. If you fall on stairs and the fall was not due to a foreign substance or other obstacle left on the stairs, you may not need to have photos taken immediately following the accident. In this way, the evidence collection process is a bit less urgent when compared to foreign substance slip and falls. Photos should be taken, of course, but they may be able to wait until after you’ve been seen by medical personnel.

Slip-on threshold

These types of slip and fall accidents are common throughout the state of Florida, and they’re often handled like staircase accidents. If a threshold has a lip of a couple of inches, and this small step is not clearly marked, it can lead to surprisingly severe injury. In these types of slip and fall accidents, it’s important to note or document the lack of warning around the threshold entrance or exit. Was a sign in place warning of an uneven surface? Was the lip of the threshold painted a bright color to make it more noticeable? These should all be documented as part of your evidence collection process.

Slip and Fall Statistics

According to the National Floor Safety Institute, slip and falls account for over 1 million hospital visits per year. Slip and falls are the most common worker’s compensation claim. While slip and falls are often associated with the elderly, they are the leading occupational injury for people aged 15 to 24 years old. Fifty-five percent of slip and falls are caused by floor surfaces and 24 percent of slip and falls are caused by footwear. Falls occur when safety in the workplace is neglected in businesses like manufacturing, service, maintenance, construction, and trucking industries.

Slip and falls on the job site fall under the class of cases known as “workers’ compensation” claims because every state requires businesses to cover workers’ compensation insurance. This insurance establishes a fixed monetary award for particular injuries. Sometimes the government may deny a workers’ compensation claim because it is claimed the slip and fall injury did not occur in the course of employment. An injured worker who has been denied workers’ compensation benefits in a slip and fall case should consult a lawyer.

If you have been involved in a slip and fall accident, contact the AZ Hometown Lawyers at (602) 495-1005.

Credit: Justice Pays

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