An individual losing control and flying through the air prior to a certain hard fall is only funny in slapstick comedy films and routines.
In real life, it is anything but humorous.
In fact, slip, trip and fall incidents often yield outcomes in Florida and nationally that are consequential and even flatly devastating. Victims break bones. They suffer traumatic brain injuries. They sometimes die.
Here’s a telling point that some people might not be reasonably aware of: The underlying catalyst responsible for such injuries is often third-party negligence, with it being the case that agents promoting harm for innocent victims can be held fully liable for the consequences.
That is important to note, because a slip-fall or trip-fall incident often spawns material financial and other harms for victims. Wages can be lost. Obviously, high medical costs might ensue. Therapy and rehabilitation might be needed. Longer-term disability can result. An experienced personal injury legal team can speak to all these matters and help an injured client pursue maximum compensation and accountability for harms suffered.
Older adults often have special slip, trip and fall concerns
A Florida personal injury legal blog will logically address valued readers comprising the state’s relatively older demographic. Florida is home to a high number of working seniors and retirees, and injury findings underscore that they are especially susceptible to slip, trip and fall injuries.
How can they safeguard against that peril?
No amount of careful behavior can absolutely keep injury outcomes at bay, of course, but there are certainly some precautions that older adults can take to lessen risks. The medical website WebMD stresses these can-do moves:
- Reducing clutter, especially on floors and steps (that means everything from clothes and boxes to toys and electrical cords)
- Installation and routine use of handrails on stairways and in baths
- Use of adequate light throughout a residence, with fixtures/switches conveniently placed
- Ensuring floor stability by getting rid of smaller rugs and via placement of adhesive non-skid mats
- Keep often used items in easily reached places
- Opt for solid footwear rather than slippers
Such moves, notes WebMD, help to render your home “a safe zone” where you “can move around with more confidence and a renewed sense of independence.”
Premises liability incidents outside the home
Of course, it is not so easy for seniors to employ safety strategies outside the home and in public places. Most people take due care to be ever-prudent, but it is not always easy to safeguard against negligence authored by a property owner, business or other entity. Slips, trips and falls occur often in environments ranging from office buildings and malls to restaurants, grocery stores and many other places.
Property owners and managers have a clear legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe for all parties at all times. Any individual – senior or otherwise – who is injured owing to a failure to abide by that standard can contact a proven and empathetic personal injury attorney for guidance and diligent legal representation.
