Information Regarding Slip, Trip and Fall Accidents

The legal term "slip and fall" refers to any accidents that happen in someone else's property. Any hazardous conditions inside or outside a property, either it is a residential or commercial area, can result to any person slipping, tripping and falling. Premises liability is commonly the form of liability in such an accident, due to the fact that owners and occupiers of a property are held legally responsible for any mishaps that happen in a certain property.

Slip and fall accidents in residential and commercial properties account to one million injuries among Americans according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Though this kind of accident is not that severe as a car accident, it has already claimed 17,000 lives in a yearly basis. Slip and fall accidents account to 15 percent of all work-related injuries, while the elderly aged 65 and older are the most common victims of such mishaps.

There are two forms of slip and fall accidents: elevated falls and same-level falls. Same-level falls are the most frequent form of accidents within the property, and the damage to the body ranges from mild to severe. Elevated falls, however, are even more severe despite this being less frequent among the two. Here is some information regarding these classifications:

• Same-level falls are falls in which the person either slips or trips and then falls to the ground. There are three forms of same-level falls, namely slip and fall, trip and fall, and step and fall.

• Slipping and falling is caused by a slippery surface coupled with wrong footwear. The person may either slip forward and fall backward, or may slip and then fall front first.

• Tripping and falling happens when the person's foot strikes an object on the floor, causing him or her to fall on his or her front. This kind of fall happens most frequently on a flight of stairs.

• Stepping and falling usually occur when a person steps on an uneven walking surface and then falls to the ground. Although falling may not happen, he or she may experience pain on the affected foot, resulting to a sprain.

• Elevated falls are falls that occur when a person is atop an elevated surface, such as ladders, stools, scaffolding, vehicles and equipment, and stairs.

Property owners are tasked to establish policies and practices that will alleviate the number of injuries and deaths because of slip and fall accidents. They must be committed enough to prevent these forms of accidents by inspecting the whole property, especially walking and working areas, paying attention to the lighting, stairways and walkways. They must also be keen in installing proper warning signs, especially on certain locations within the property.

Someone who gets injured in a slip and fall mishap can always consult an Orange County personal injury lawyer. The injured person can be entitled for compensation for the damages he or she sustained, which is why the legal expertise of the reputable personal injury lawyer is important.