Common Slip and Fall Injuries in Greenville, SC

A slip and fall accident can happen in many environments for many reasons. At one time or another, you may have slipped going up some stairs or didn’t notice the “caution floor is wet” sign. While some of these circumstances can be more embarrassing than anything, sometimes neglect from a party can lead to serious injuries that change your life forever.

After a slip and fall accident, you must prove the following elements to be entitled to financial compensation, including:

1. The property owner owed you a duty of care
2. The property owner breached this duty of care by a negligent act or omission, and
3. You suffered damage as a result of this breach of duty.

Under South Carolina law, you can file a “premise liability” claim if you meet these elements. If you were injured after a slip and fall accident, you could be compensated for any injuries you sustained. If you are unsure how to navigate this process, our experienced slip and fall attorneys at The Hammack Law Firm are ready to assist you!

Slip and fall accidents occur all the time in Greenville, SC, so we are going to highlight the most common injuries that result from these incidents.

The Top 10 Slip and Fall Injuries

No matter the circumstances that led to your slip and fall accident, you should always seek medical treatment to ensure your injuries are taken care of and to provide a medical record for your claim. These injuries could include the following.

1. Concussions

Many times a slip and fall accidents lead to a victim hitting their head against the ground or some other hard object. This type of trauma to the head usually leads to a concussion. However, contact with an object is not the only way a concussion can occur. If your head was violently shaken from the incident, this type of damage could lead to a concussion as well. If you are feeling symptoms such as a headache, confusion, feeling “foggy,” dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea, and/or loss of consciousness, you should be checked for a concussion by your doctor.

2. Neck Injuries

Neck injuries can simply be soreness from the fall or a signal of significant spinal cord damage, such as issues with the neck’s muscles, ligaments, or tendons. A common term that describes this injury is “whiplash,” which means the upper spinal cord and the soft tissue in the neck were damaged due to a sudden and often violent movement.

Even if you feel like your accident wasn’t that serious, you should always get checked by a doctor to rule out any possible injuries that could be life-altering if left unattended.

3. Cuts and Lacerations

If your slip and fall accident occurred around debris, sharp metal, broken glass, or other dangerous objects, you most likely received severe cuts and lacerations from the fall. While you may think these injuries only need stitches to heal, there can be serious underlying nerve damage or damage to the muscle or soft tissue beneath your skin.

4. Wrist, Elbow, and Shoulder Injuries

Instinctively when you feel yourself falling, your first reaction is to put your arm out to break your fall. Bracing for a fall in this way can lead to injuries in the wrist, elbow, and/or shoulder as the brunt of the impact hits the outstretched arm first. These types of injuries can vary from minor to severe. Additionally, your treatment could be minimal, like following the RICE procedure (rest, ice, compression, and elevation), or require surgery and physical therapy to heal.

5. Ankle and Knee Injuries

If you landed on your ankle or knee, you could have sustained a wide range of injuries, including a sprain, broken bone, tear, or other severe damage. Even something more minor, like a sprain, should be treated by a doctor as it can become more serious if not treated properly.

6. Facial Injuries

Your slip and fall accident could result in facial injuries if your face came into contact with the ground or another sharp object. These injuries can vary from cuts and bruising to broken teeth, nose fractures, or jaw fractures. If facial injuries have occurred, they often signal other internal damage, like a concussion.

7. Broken Bones

Severe slip and fall accidents can often lead to broken bones. These injuries are particularly high risk for the elderly, who are more prone to suffering a fractured hip after a fall, which can cause severe complications, making it a very dangerous type of break. No matter the victim’s age, broken bones such as shoulders, arms, rib cage, legs, and even the collarbone area can result from a severe slip and fall accident. Any of these injuries can require long-term treatment and therapy to heal fully.

8. Spinal Cord Injuries

Pinched nerves, slipped and herniated discs, and fractured vertebrae are just a few of the types of spinal cord injuries (SCI) you can suffer after a fall. These injuries are debilitating, and the extent of the damage can vary from limited mobility to partial or total paralysis. When you get medical attention, your injury will be classified as either “complete” or “incomplete,” and it will be determined what specific damage you suffered, depending on the location of where your spine was injured.

9. Forms of TBI

We have already gone over the mildest case of traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is a concussion, but many different forms of TBI can occur after a fall. These didn’t forms include:

• Basilar, depressed, and linear skull fractures
• Coup-contrecoup injuries
• Diffuse axonal injury (DAI)
• Epidural, intracerebral, or subdural hematoma
• Intraventricular or subarachnoid hemorrhage

10. Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is not an injury that results from a fall but rather a long-term after-effect of any of the injuries we have listed above. This pain can last months, years, or even decades and can severely alter someone’s quality of life.

Speak with a Slip and Fall Accident Lawyer in Greenville, SC Today

If you experienced a slip and fall accident due to another party’s negligence and are dealing with any of the injuries we listed above, you can file a claim to receive financial compensation for the damages you have suffered. Our slip and fall accident lawyers at The Hammack Law Firm have years of experience fighting for those who have been injured and helping them recover compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, and more. To get a free consultation with our lawyers in South Carolina, call (864) 428-7591 or contact us online today!