According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about three million older adults are treated in hospitals and emergency departments for fall injuries every year. Every second, an older adult slips and falls, and the CDC predicts that slip and falls will kill seven older adults every hour by 2030. In 2015, the costs of older adult slips and falls were roughly $50 billion, and as the incidence rate of slips and falls increases, we can expect the costs associated with such accidents to rise, as well.
Pain and suffering and the costs of medical treatment expenses can come with a slip and fall. You may suffer broken bones, head trauma, a back injury, or damage to your bones, nerves, or ligaments. Slip and falls can lead to serious physical injury and even death, but you have the right to seek compensation if your slip and fall accident was caused by someone else’s recklessness or negligence.
To learn more, contact the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine at 1-800-747-3733. Our Miami personal injury lawyers can investigate your elderly slip and fall case and help you file for compensation if you have grounds for a claim. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
Injuries and Damages
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a fall can lead to broken bones, substantial medical care costs, higher insurance premiums, and a lack of independence. Millions of people fall each year, and the risks of falling and fall-related problems increase as you get older.
Common injuries and damages seen in slip and fall accidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Head injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Torn, pinched, or damaged nerves
- Injuries to the back or neck such as dislocated discs
- Broken or fractured bones
- Muscle sprains and strains
- Puncture wounds from falling on objects
- Infections
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Death, especially when head injuries and falls from a height are involved
Some slip and falls can even be caused by illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as nerve or blood vessel issues in the feet, all of which can affect your sensation and balance. Some medications can cause dizziness or drowsiness. In addition, the presence or absence of fall prevention devices and equipment, such as no-slip rugs or handrails in hallways and stairwells, all affect the likelihood with which someone may slip and fall.
Depending on how your slip and fall occurred, you may be able to file a compensation claim with the insurer of an at-fault party responsible for your slip and fall accident.
Liability and Compensation for Slip and Fall Accidents
To seek compensation for a slip and fall accident, you need to prove four things:
- That you were owed a duty of care
- That the party that owed you a duty of care failed to fulfill that duty; this is also known as a breach in the duty of care
- That a breach in the duty of care caused the slip and fall accident that you were involved in
- That your slip and fall accident led to quantifiable losses, injuries, or other damages
The first two steps–determining that you were owed a duty of care and that the duty of care was breached–can involve a number of parties. A nursing home can be at-fault for breaching the duty of care if a resident suffers a slip and fall because of the nursing home’s failure to provide the elderly residents with, for example, no-slip mats, handrails, or care and supervision when needed.
Similarly, a doctor or hospital may be at fault if it prescribes medications that cause drowsiness or dizziness and leads to a slip and fall accident even if the elderly patient in question uses the medications as directed.
A business owner or operator of a publicly accessible place such as a park, a recreational area, a school, or a retail store can be at fault for an older adult’s slip and fall if slip and fall hazards, such as slippery or damaged floors, cause or contribute to a slip and fall accident.
A Miami elderly slip and fall lawyer at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can assist you by identifying the at-fault party that owed you a duty of care and gathering evidence to prove that the duty of care was somehow breached and/or not fulfilled.
This is what is required to prove negligence, incompetence, carelessness, or recklessness on the part of an at-fault party that owed you a duty of care. Dial 1-800-747-3733 to discuss your case with a member of our team at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine.
Contact the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine Today
Our Miami elderly slip and fall lawyer can provide legal care. We want you to focus on nothing but getting better, and we take care of everything else for you.
Statutes of limitations apply to personal injury cases, and we know how difficult it can be to manage the physical, emotional, and financial fallout of a slip and fall accident, especially an accident that could have or should have been prevented. Still, make sure you file your personal injury lawsuit within four years, as Florida Statutes § 95.11 explains. Otherwise, you may not be able to obtain the financial award you could be entitled to.
Do not hesitate to call us. We can help you gather evidence, evaluate your damages, and file a claim, so contact our offices today.
We Can Help.
