Florida Slip and Fall
Accidents

What Causes Slip and Fall Accidents?

Florida slip and fall accidents are an all-too-common occurrence. Every day, people suffer accidental injuries resulting from a fall—causing pain and suffering while increasing their medical bills. According to data cited by the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), “Falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits, representing the leading cause of visits (21.3%). Slips and falls account for over 1 million visits, or 12% of total falls.”

In 2017, slips and falls were the second most frequent cause of fatal injuries on the job as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)—accounting for 887 deaths in 2017. Another BLS report reveals that there were a total of 227,760 falls, slips, and trips recorded in 2017 that resulted in days away from work or worse. 

These are just a few of the more commonly-cited causes of accidental injuries from slip and fall-related incidents. There are dozens of causes listed in the BLS table. Added together, these four causes of slips, trips, and falls account for nearly half of all BLS-recorded incidents (108,320 out of 227,760, or 47.5% of all incidents).

Some of the top causes of injuries from slip, trip, or fall incidents included:
Slips on a substance without falling 8,200 cases
Tripping on an object without falling 5,250 cases
Falls on the same level due to tripping over an object 32,660 cases
Falls on the same level due to slipping 62,210

What Kinds of Injuries Can Slip and Fall Accidents Cause?

The types of accidental injuries that arise from slip and fall incidents can vary depending on the nature of the fall and its severity. Falls from a height have a higher chance per incident of incurring severe injuries or death than falls on the same level, but the possibility of debilitating injuries, such as a spinal cord injury (SCI) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) exists even for seemingly minor slip and fall accidents.

Some of the most common slip and fall accident injuries recorded by the BLS include:
Sprains, strains, and tears 72,750
Fractures 45,460
Cuts and lacerations 5,490
Bruises/contusions 29,950
Multiple traumatic injuries with sprains 4,970
Multiple traumatic injuries with fractures 1,250

Establishing Liability for Slip and Fall Incidents

Any of these injury types has the potential to keep someone affected by them from being able to work for an extended period of time—impacting their livelihood. However, some injuries are more severe than others. For example, when the fractured bones include the vertebrae of the spinal cord or someone falls on their head, the resulting SCI or TBI can permanently debilitate the victim.

In such cases, it’s important to receive prompt treatment—but medical care has a high cost. When the bills for treatment arrive, it’s vital to be able to establish liability for the slip and fall incident to be able to recover the money to pay them. However, proving slip and fall liability can be difficult. This is where having an experienced slip and fall attorney on your side can help.

Old Lady Slip and Fall Incident