Each year, thousands of victims are hospitalized or seek medical attention as a
result of slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents. In a majority of cases, these types of accidents are preventable. Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents may injure different parts of the body and in different way depending on the nature of the incident as well as where and how it took place.
Whether you slip or trip, there is the potential to suffer serious or even catastrophic injuries that potentially leave you disabled for life. If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident, it is important to understand the differences between these two types of incident so you can better present your case and achieve the best possible outcome.
Some Key Differences
Typically a trip-and-fall accident is when you get your foot caught in an object, or lose your balance because of a protruding object and/or something that trips you such as a broken stair or cracked asphalt. Tripping forward usually causes the victim to fall on the chest, knee, face or wrists. These accidents may result in injuries such as bruises or fractures in the bones of the hands and knees.
In a slip-and-fall accident, the victim falls backwards as a result of losing footing on something wet or slippery on the ground, slipping on snow or ice, or falling because of slippery ground material such as a waxed floor or flooring material that is slippery. Slipping generally causes victims to fall on their backs, tailbones, and hit the backs of their heads. Slipping can cause distinct injuries that may require different types of treatment.
Common injuries from trips include bruises on different parts of the body, broken teeth from impact and fractures in the hand or arm bones. Those who slip and fall may commonly suffer head injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, neck injuries, hip fractures and tailbone fractures.
What to Do After a Slip or Trip
Regardless of how you fall, there are a number of steps you would be well advised to take in order to protect your rights:
Medical attention: One of the most important steps to take after suffering a fall is to get prompt medical attention. This can help ensure that any broken parts of the body are stabilized right away. Getting medical attention not only puts you on the road to recovery, but also establishes a record of the help you sought and the medical treatment you received.
Incident report: It is also a good idea to report the incident to the property owner, manager, or the manager of the store or business where it occurred. Record the date, time and location of the incident. Obtain a copy of this report for your records. Your New York personal injury lawyer can also help you get a copy of this report.
Gathering evidence: Take as many photos and/or videos of the accident scene as soon as is possible. It would also be extremely helpful to collect eyewitness accounts. These may serve as valuable evidence and can strengthen your claim significantly. If your injuries are too severe, your personal injury lawyer can help collect this type of evidence.
Keeping copies: Ask for copies of all medical records. Keeping this documentation organized is one of the important steps injured victims can take in making sure their case proceeds quickly.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you were involved in a slip-and-fall or a trip-and-fall accident as a result of someone else’s negligence (carelessness), please remember that you have rights. Some of the damages that victims of such accidents can claim include, but are not limited to, medical expenses, loss of wages and benefits, cost of hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, past and future pain and suffering, permanent injury, etc.
The experienced New York personal injury attorneys with the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. For 50 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims.
Our law firm recovered $1,700,000 for a woman who slipped and fell and received no hospital or medical treatment for one month after the accident. Our law firm also recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
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