5 Most Common Slip and Fall Accidents You’ll Want to Avoid
Slips and falls can change your life in more ways than one in a split second. You may end up with an injury that leaves you bedridden or something that compromises your thinking and working abilities.
Unfortunately, most accident victims blame their carelessness for the accident when in reality, it’s not always true. Sometimes the property, business, or land owner was aware of some dangerous condition and failed to take care of it, leading to the accident.
If this is the case, you have the right to claim compensation. While it’s ideally better to avoid a slip-and-fall injury in the first place, here are the five most common types of slip-and-fall accidents.
And what you or your loved one should do if involved in one.
Five common slip and fall accidents
1. Inadequate lighting
It’s common to find poor lighting in otherwise safe places like apartment buildings and parking garages. It’s due to poor maintenance and can lead to facial and dental injuries, broken bones and cuts, and lacerations.
2. Wet floors
Wet floors are perhaps the most common cause of slip-and-fall accidents worldwide. There are many reasons for wet floors, like leaks, fallen liquids, and a freshly wiped floor.
Most of the time, the business is aware of all this and should either wipe the liquid or at least place warning signs to inform the public.
And it’s not just water that makes the floor slippery. Even grease, oil, food, and cleaners like soaps, detergents, and floor polishes can trigger a fall.
3. Clutter and obstacles
Too much clutter and obstacles like extension cords, empty bins, trash, or cardboard boxes in the wrong places can lead to an accident.
The property owner is liable if an accident occurs because of clutter as it’s their responsibility to remove it before it causes an accident.
4. Uneven surfaces
Dry surfaces can also cause slips and falls if it’s uneven, like chipped tiles, cracks, and wrinkled carpets.
Once again, the floor ends up uneven because of the owner’s lack of maintenance or warning to visitors. And the accident occurs because people can’t or don’t see the uneven surface.
5. Ice and snow
There are many cases of people slipping and falling on ice or snow. And as snow and ice are predictable, the property owner must plan for it by removing ice and snow from walkways.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident
It’s not enough to just know about slip and fall accidents; you need to know these four things to do after it:
- You have to report it and get a copy of the report to provide to your personal injury attorney in Glendale. Don’t forget to inform the owner before leaving if they weren’t around when the accident occurred.
- As police don’t always respond to a slip-and-fall accident, it’s left to you to collect relevant evidence. Take photos of the cause and collect video footage and the witness’s name and contact details.
- Get treated as quickly as possible, as the medical reports form an essential piece of evidence. It’s difficult to claim for an injury if you don’t have proof of seeking immediate medical attention.
Besides, the delay in seeking treatment makes it look like you had a minor injury.
- Consult a Glendale personal injury attorney before speaking to the insurance providers. Your lawyer will thus be able to assess your case, evaluate or even collect evidence and accept your case.