People sometimes fail to treat slip-and-fall situations as the serious matters that they can be. It is quite common for those who hear of slip-and-falls to assume that the person didn’t sustain any major injuries. Those who fall in public locations often feel so embarrassed that they don’t properly evaluate themselves for injury symptoms.
While it is true that most slip-and-falls at businesses result in a little more than bruises or minor lacerations, people can also sustain major injuries in a same-level fall. Provided that the incident occurred because of a business’s negligence, it might be possible to seek financial compensation through a premises liability lawsuit. The following kinds of expensive injuries commonly occur as a result of slip-and-fall situations.
Traumatic brain injuries
The worst possible injury in a slip-and-fall case is a traumatic brain injury. People can hit their heads on the floor or on any objects nearby when they suddenly lose their balance. They may develop a permanent brain injury as a result of that blunt force trauma.
A brain injury could cause a variety of different concerning symptoms, ranging from memory issues and changes in personality to motor function challenges. People sometimes have to leave their careers and may require hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical care costs because they hit their heads when they fall.
Broken bones
People often try to stop a fall when they lose their balance. The attempt to grab onto something or brace for impact can lead to fractures. Broken bones can be expensive because they require medical care. Significant fractures might lead to surgery.
Those in blue-collar or service professions may also miss out on weeks of work while they recover from the injury. Fractures can be incredibly expensive, and the worst fractures can cause lingering symptoms that affect people indefinitely.
People may also develop soft tissue injuries because they overexert themselves when they try to prevent a fall. If there are sharp or dangerous objects nearby, a fall might lead to severe lacerations and infection risk.
Those who report a slip-and-fall after it occurs can protect their right to pursue compensation if they end up incurring significant costs. Realizing that a slip-and-fall can affect finances may motivate people to report injurious incidents and see a doctor afterward.