People get hurt in slip and fall accidents at the shopping mall, inside a grocery store, walking down the sidewalk, attending a party at a friend’s house, and in many other locations. About the only place where a slip and fall accident cannot occur is on your own property. Slip and fall claims must take place on the property of someone else. That property can be residential, commercial, or public property.
You will want to talk to a Chicago personal injury attorney to learn more about what are the most common slip and fall injuries. Also, a lawyer can negotiate directly with the insurance company for you to try to settle your case.
Fractures
When slipping or tripping on a hazard, a person can get up-ended and land in positions that nature never intended. Sometimes people can even hear their bones snap on impact during a slip and fall accident. Older people tend to be more susceptible to broken bones with slip and fall events because of brittle or weak bones. A broken ankle, hip, or leg can rob a person of their mobility, leading to deteriorating general health and a greater risk of complications like pneumonia.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Often, a person’s head strikes the floor violently or an object on the way down to the floor. This severe impact can result in a skull fracture or another head injury that can damage brain tissue.
Concussions
Although some concussions are mild, an individual can suffer a moderate to severe concussion, which can cause long-term impairment.
Arm Joint Injuries
People frequently try to break their fall by throwing their arms out as a sort of “shock absorber.” The problem is when this defense mechanism results in a broken wrist, elbow, or shoulder. Upper extremity joints are not intended to bear the full weight of the body in the average person, particularly one of advanced age.
Leg Joint Injuries
When a person trips or slips on something and goes tumbling as a result, the ankle, knee, or hip can get hyperextended, twisted, or sprained with great force. The individual can suffer dislocation of the joint, soft tissue injuries, or torn ligaments and tendons.
Facial Wounds
Sometimes people land face-first after losing their footing. These accidents happen suddenly, without allowing time to protect one’s face from injuries. Teeth can get broken or chipped. The jaw, nose, cheekbones, and the forehead portion of the skull can sustain fractures. Disfiguring lacerations can occur. Facial wounds can result in a loss of vision, diminished sense of smell or taste from nerve damage, facial paralysis, and other injuries.
Lacerations
Depending on where you fall, there could be sharp objects that pierce the body, cutting deep lacerations into the flesh. These cuts can cause bleeding, internal damage, tissue damage, severed nerves, and disfiguring scars.
Neck and Spinal Cord Damage
The human body was not designed to go flying through the air uncontrollably. Thanks to gravity, the body must land somewhere. When the individual could not manage a controlled landing because of the slip and fall accident, they might suffer a neck injury or spinal cord damage from the impact of crashing into the ground or other objects.
Contact Our Personal Injury Attorneys in Chicago
Our Chicago personal injury attorneys at Hale & Monico can evaluate your case and advocate for you. Please feel free to contact us today for your free initial consultation.