What Injuries Can You Get From a Slip and Fall?
Several million people go to the emergency room for treatment of slip and fall injuries. These accidents are among the leading causes of death across the country, and recovery often entails medical treatment and physical rehabilitation. The severity of the physical injury can range from minor to critical. Slip and fall accidents can happen almost anywhere, including retail stores, movie theater, apartment complex, museum, coffee shop, and other public places.
Broken Bones
When there is more pressure than a bone can withstand, it breaks. The force from falling can place immense pressure on bones throughout the body. Bones that are especially vulnerable are wrists, ankles, elbows, and hips.
Soft Tissue Damage
Soft tissue injuries can be visible or not externally seen, depending on the type of damage. Soft tissues such as tendons, muscles, and ligaments can get injured from the fall. So even if you feel okay after the slip and fall, you could notice some bruising and other symptoms slowly developing in the days to follow.
Brain Injury
Hitting your head on an object or the floor during the fall can result in bruises, bumps, concussions, hematomas, skull fractures, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. On the most minor level, a brain injury may only need rest to recover. In other cases, the brain injury is severe enough that it is tragic to a person’s quality of life.
Knee Injury
Falling directly onto the knees during a fall can be terribly painful. Knees are made up of sensitive parts, and may need surgical intervention to treat. In particular, an injured MCL or ACL can take a longer time to heal completely.
Neck and Shoulder Injury
During the fall, you may have landed on your shoulder or neck. These injuries can happen due to overextertion while attempting to catch yourself. Medical care for possible neck, shoulder, and spine injuries should be sought immediately, even if symptoms are not present at the time of the fall.
In some cases, a slip and fall occurred due to negligence of an individual, company, or other entity. Those who suspect this was a contributing factor of their slip and fall are encouraged to get medical care and seek guidance from a lawyer, alike to one from a Slip and Fall Law Firm.