Businesses and property owners have the legal responsibility to keep their property free from potential problems that may cause visitors and employees to slip and fall. When someone slips and falls, the property or business owner may have behaved negligently and may be responsible for the injury.
Facts About Injuries from a Fall
Though it may not seem like a big deal, slips and falls are a major reason for millions of emergency room visits each year. Consider these statistics from the Center for Disease Control:
- An estimated 20% of falls result in serious injury, which includes broken bones, lacerations or concussions.
- Over 800,000 people are hospitalized each year in the United States due to a fall.
- Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries.
- The cost of falling is high; in 2015 the cost of falls totaled an estimated $50 billion.
Slips and falls are also a major contributor to injuries in the workplace. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics found that almost 800 people died in 2018 as a result of slips and falls. An additional 240,160 slip and fall cases resulted in an employee being seriously injured at work. It is estimated that 85 percent of workers’ compensation claims are filed each year due to a slip and fall injury.
But what makes slip and fall injuries so common?
Slip and Fall Injuries at Work
Here is a perfect scenario. A busy restaurant waitress is finishing up for the night after closing. She is carrying a tray of dishes in the back of the restaurant to be washed. In the back, the staff is hurrying and trying to get home and accidentally spill a container of soup onto the floor. The restaurant doesn’t require that their employees wear slip-proof shoes or have anti-slip mats on the floor.
While walking into the back with her arms full, she doesn’t see the soup spilled on to the greasy floor. She slips, falling hard onto the ground and cuts her forehead on a corner of the wall. An ambulance is called, and the waitress is taken to the emergency room where she receives 11 stitches in her forehead and treatment for a sprained wrist and brain concussion. She has to take several weeks off of work while her wrist and forehead heal.
The waitress is worried about paying her bills because of her lost wages and doesn’t know what to do about the thousands of dollars in medical bills that keep coming in the mail. Her employer hasn’t offered to pay anything, because they claim she was distracted. She knows that her employer should be helping but isn’t sure what the next steps should be.
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About Hutzler Law PLLC
If you have suffered a slip and fall injury you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Hutzler Law PLLC. In the Phoenix AZ area call (602) 730-4530 or visit us at HutzlerLaw.com
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