If you’ve been seriously injured in a falling accident on someone else’s property—whether it is a business, public area, or home—you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the home or property owner who had a legal duty to keep their property safe. Speak to one of our knowledgeable and caring Lexington slip and fall lawyers today to learn how you can do so and potentially aid your recovery process while helping protect other potential victims.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries and the third-leading unintentional cause of death in the United States. We may not think about the dangers of falling injuries often, but the simple fact is that a hard fall can do a lot of damage to our bodies. More than 2.5 million adults visited the E.R. in 2013 after suffering from a non-fatal fall.
Falling injuries, often referred to as “slip-and-fall” injuries in the legal world, can cause severe injuries and can lead to hospitalization, surgeries, broken bones, fractures, brain injuries, impaired mobility, and even death. Fall injuries often make it difficult to live and function independently.
When we visit another person’s or organization’s property—whether it is a house, business, or public area like a park or government office—we expect that the property owner will keep it well-maintained and that we shouldn’t be at risk of falling on the premises. Property owners have a legal responsibility to protect visitors from falling accidents as well as all other types of accidents. This is an area of law called premises liability.
When a property owner fails to uphold this responsibility and a non-trespassing visitor suffers from a falling injury on their property, that individual can be held legally liable for the victim’s injuries. By filing a slip and fall claim against the property owner, you can hold the individual or business accountable and potentially receive help getting your life back on track.
What Types of Injuries Result After a Slip and Fall Accident?
Slip and fall accidents are legally defined as any type of falling accident that begins after tripping, slipping, or stumbling due to debris, a spill, or rough pavement, etc. that the victim did not see or receive inadequate warning about. Slip and fall accidents can range from slipping on a spill in the bathroom and falling to stumbling over a loose piece of carpeting, tripping over a broken pothole, or falling down a flight of stairs that has a broken handrail.
All these types of falling accidents can result in severe, life-alternating injuries. Here are some of the most common injuries that result after a slip-and-fall accident:
- Fractures
- Broken bones
- Knee injuries
- Lacerations
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Back injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Neck and shoulder injuries
The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) reports that falling accidents cause 87% of bone fractures in adults ages 65 and older. Hip fractures are a common falling injury in older adults and can seriously harm an individual’s mobility and livelihood.
If you’ve lost a loved one due to injuries they incurred in a slip and fall accident, you may be able to file a claim on behalf of them. These types of claims are called wrongful death lawsuits and can help a family move forward.
Where and How Do Slip and Fall Accidents Happen?
Falling accidents that result in serious injuries can happen literally anywhere—either outdoors or indoors. Some of the most common areas where slip and fall accidents occur include the following places and venues:
- Stores
- Workplaces
- Offices
- Restaurants
- Resorts and casinos
- Hotels
- Any public place with stairs
Common issues that cause individuals to fall and suffer from injuries include the following circumstances and situations:
- Ice or snow
- Slippery or slick floors or pavement, such as after a rain storm
- Spills that aren’t cleaned up quickly enough
- Broken stairs or stairwells with broken handrails
- Stairs or walkways that are too steep
- Potholes
- Changes in the type of flooring (from linoleum to carpeting, for instance)
- Sudden changes in the level of walking surface
- Sidewalk cracks
- Loose debris like tree branches or loose building material
- Unmarked curbs
- Gravel walkways/driveways
- Poor lighting
- Poorly marked parking lot fixtures
Most slip and fall injuries can be prevented entirely with proper maintenance and care. If a property owner cannot see to fixing a broken stairway, for example, within the next couple of days, they must post a sign about the hazard or rope off the area to keep visitors from going near it. In a public bathroom, for example, it’s expected that janitors will stay on top of any spills. If they cannot attend to a spill right away, they must post signs regarding the spill to warn guests.
How Can a Lexington Slip and Fall Injury Attorney Help Me?
If you or someone you love was seriously injured in a slip-and-fall accident in Lexington or anywhere in Kentucky and you feel the incident was directly tied to negligence on behalf of the homeowner or property owner, you should get in touch with Golden Law Office today. We can help you file a claim against the property owner and help you potentially get compensation that can go towards you or your loved one’s recovery. Slip and fall claims are complex so don’t trust your case with just any attorney.
Golden Law is a local, Kentucky Law Firm, attorneys/lawyers in Fayette County, Kentucky, working in the fields of personal injury, auto accidents, car and truck wrecks; medical malpractice: doctors, hospitals & nursing homes; senior living abuse: neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, dehydration, bedsores, catastrophic injuries, and broken bones. If you are considering a lawsuit, call us at 859.469.5000 for a free consultation. We are located at 771 Corporate Dr. Suite 800/ Lexington, Kentucky 40503. We handle cases all over the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We have represented and trained people in major insurance companies & major trucking companies. We have first hand experience and know the ‘inside of the insurance business’ … that’s a distinction that no other law firm can make. We’re Your Advocate. Dale Golden, Laraclay Parker.
