The term slip and fall is used in personal injury cases that stem from when someone is injured on someone else’s property. Trip and fall is another common term used for when someone is injured on someone else’s property. Both of these terms imply that a property owner’s negligence may have caused or contributed to the injury which may make the property owner liable for the injury.
Slip and Fall
The term slip and fall is an accurate description of how a person gets injured in this kind of accident. When one or both of a person’s feet slip while walking (or running) and this causes them to fall, this is a slip and fall. Slip and falls can be caused by many different things but they often occur when a spill has been improperly cleaned up and there are no, or insufficient, warnings.
There does not have to be a spill for someone to slip. Sometimes a naturally slick surface that should have a surface with more friction covering where people walk can cause this sort of accident. Rocks, gravel, dirt and sand can also cause a person’s foot to slip out from under them, thus causing them to fall. Sometimes the slip itself causes the injury and sometimes it is just the fall that causes the injury; sometimes it is the combination of the two that cause a person to be injured.
Trip and Fall
The term trip and fall is also an accurate description of how a person gets injured in this kind of accident. When a person trips while walking (or running) and this causes them to fall, it is often referred to as a trip and fall.
The terms slip and fall or trip and fall are often used interchangeably even though each describes a different cause for a person falling.
When someone trips over or on something, or their foot dips down unexpectedly, this can cause them to become unbalanced and fall as a result of this unhinging. Hoses, door jambs, carpets and rugs, poorly marked curbs and steps, uneven sidewalks, equipment, toys, sticks, and fallen tree limbs and branches, are common things that cause people to be to trip and become injured from a trip and fall accident.
A person’s foot might dip down unexpectedly because of a pothole, a poorly marked curb or step, a broken equipment cover (such as for a pool filter or a floor heater, etc.) or construction ditch or other depression that’s been dug on a walkway.
When someone encounters any of the above scenarios and ones not mentioned here, it can cause them to lose their balance and fall.
Injuries from Slip or Trip and Falls
People can suffer anywhere from minor to major injuries from both slip and fall and trip and fall accidents, and sometimes these accidents can be fatal. Common injuries include:
- Scrapes, cuts, wounds
- External and internal bruises
- Sprained muscles, tendons and tissues
- Soft tissue damage
- Broken bones
- Spinal injuries
- Neck injuries
- Head injuries including concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Internal bleeding
The above are some of the common injuries people sustain from a trip and fall or slip and fall accident. If you or someone you love was injured because of this, it may be in your best interest to contact a personal injury law firm that is experienced in successfully defending the rights of slip and fall victims. An injured person and/or their family may be entitled to compensation.
For a personal injury law firm with over 30 years of experience protecting injured people and their families, contact Cohen & Cohen for a free case consultation and free case evaluation. Someone is available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
