From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common causes of slip and fall accidents include spills, leaks, and other substances that leave slick spots on the floor. This type of premises liability accident can cause you to suffer serious injuries and cost thousands of dollars. These hardships can lead to a lot of stress and frustration when you have to worry about making ends meet while also recovering from your physical injuries.
In many cases, falls occur because the landowner or the party leasing the property failed to take care of a fall hazard. The attorney representing you may hold the property owner accountable if the legal team can prove the landowner knew about the hazard or should have been aware of it.
Slip and Falls Occur Because of a Lack of Traction
The most common causes of slip and fall accidents revolve around some type of liquid or other substance on the floor. Usually, these incidents occur on tile, concrete, or other similar surfaces. In restaurants and food stores, spills are common. A drink or food product falls, leaving a thin coating on the floor. A customer steps in it, preventing their shoes from getting the traction they need to grip the floor, and they slip. Failing to clear all water after mopping and not putting a caution sign up can cause the same problem.
When you slip and fall, you generally fall backward. Most victims land on their tailbone or back, leading to injuries that include bruises and lacerations, arm and wrist injuries, back and neck injuries, and even traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) if they hit their head.
Other common causes of slip and fall hazards include:
- Tracked rainwater in summer or spring
- Tracked snow in winter
- Tracked wet leaves in autumn
- Leaks that leave puddles on the floor, including minor leaks
- Poor maintenance practices, such as leaving too much wax on the floor
- Slick flooring surfaces
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Other Types of Fall Injuries
Slips are not the only type of fall that causes injuries and can cost you money. Two other types of falls also support premises liability legal action and may be to blame for your injuries. They include:
Trips and Falls
Trips and falls occur every day. They happen indoors and out, on pavement, carpet, grass, and tile. They can occur in almost any location. A trip hazard can be an object on the floor, a cord stretched across the floor, ripped carpet, a broken sidewalk, or almost any other obstacle that makes the walkway uneven or obstructs it. The wide range of hazards is one reason trips are the most common type of fall.
Property owners must be aware of uneven pavement, potholes, damaged flooring, unmarked step-ups, and other trip hazards, working to warn about them, repair them, and keeping the walkways easy to navigate.
Unlike slip and fall accidents, trip and fall accidents usually throw you forward. Broken bones, joint injuries, lacerations and contusions, and other injuries are common.
Falls from an Elevated Area
Falls from a height are not as common as slips or trips, but they are often more dangerous. While slips and trips only involve falling to the ground from a standing position, the added height can increase the likelihood of injury and severity. This fall could be only from a couple of feet, several stories, or more. These accidents often involve broken, missing, or poorly maintained handrails and may occur on stairs, porches, patios, decks, and upper floor overlooks.
Injuries in a fall from an elevated area depend on many factors but may be catastrophic. Some patients may require ongoing care or even pass away from their injuries. TBIs and spinal cord injuries with or without paralysis are possible.
Seeking Compensation for Your South Carolina Fall Injuries
Landowners owe it to customers and visitors to keep their property free from unreasonable hazards. If there is a hazard that leads to fall injuries, the landowner or another liable party may owe you compensation.
If you were a victim of this type of accident, you have a limited time to begin your legal case against the liable party per S.C. Ann. Code § 15-3-530. Your attorney will need time to investigate your accident, support your claim, and seek an out-of-court settlement before this date arrives. Get started as soon as possible.
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Talk to Hammack Law Firm’s Fall Injury Team for Free Today
At Hammack Law Firm, our team understands how stressful and frustrating it can be to suffer injuries because of someone else’s negligence. We build personal relationships with every client, and they receive individualized attention, dedication to their case, and empathetic understanding from the initial consultation through the day we close their case. Our firm’s compassion to our clients is apparent when you read our Google reviews and testimonials. Every client is treated like a member of our family every time.
We are a contingency fee firm and seek financial compensation for every client we represent. We will not ask you to pay any fees up front for our representation; we collect our fees from your financial recovery. Speak with a Hammack Law Firm team member in Greenville for free now. Call us at (864) 326-3333.
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