After two days of incessant rain, you thought the weather was finally on your side. Your sister’s wedding was supposed to begin in an hour and after spending the last three trying to calm her down and cursing the clouds outside, the rain finally stopped and the sun came out. Thankfully, your sister pulled herself together and everyone was happy. That is until you had to walk to the venue.
Being the maid of honor, you had the pleasure of carrying the bride’s train as she and the other bridesmaids dodged puddles and scampered across the sidewalk. You managed to successfully traverse the wet pavement and mud-splattered stairs (all while holding 20 pounds worth of dress in your arms), but disaster struck as soon as you reached the hall’s entrance.
No one had monitored the tile floor inside the doors which had accumulated water and mud from the guests’ shoes. Unfortunately, with mounds of silk, chiffon, and lace blocking your view, you couldn’t see the danger until it was too late. On your second step your high heel slid on a particularly slippery patch of mud and caused you to fall backward into three other bridesmaids. As you went down you tossed your sister’s train as high as you could and attempted to brace your fall with your hands.
The scene was like toppling dominoes. You hit the ground with a deafening smack and then...thump, thump, thump...one bridesmaid after the other came crashing down. It might have been funny, if no one was hurt. Alas, all in all there were two broken wrists (yours), a bruised tailbone (also yours), three sprained ankles (surprisingly, not yours) and several sore bums, all from a stupid muddy floor.
As you all sat in a moaning mound on the floor (your sister standing dumbfounded near you), all you could think about was how stupid the situation was—a simple slide on some rainwater and you’re going to need several ambulances? Is this sort of thing common for slip and falls, or are you just special that way?
Typical Slip and Fall Injuries
According to the Mayo Clinic, over 10 million people a year suffer from slip and fall injuries. The National Safety Council suggests that these types of accidents are one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries in the United States and cites falls as the number one danger for people over 55 years old. Although many factors can cause accidental falls, the real danger lies in the severity of the injury they cause.
Common types of painful and traumatic fall injuries include:
- Sprained/broken wrists and ankles. The natural reaction to catch and stabilize yourself while falling can cause you to twist your ankles, put too much pressure on your hands or cause too much weight to be forced onto delicate bones in the wrists and ankles.
- Pulled muscles and stretched tendons. Reflexes like tensing your muscles and twisting your limbs in anticipation of a painful fall could result in overextension of tendons or pulled muscles.
- Fractured clavicles. Falling forward could cause you to slam your chest into the ground. If your collarbone strikes the ground first, the impact force of the fall could cause your clavicle to shatter.
- Bruised or chipped coccyges (tailbones). If you fall backward the natural reaction is to extend your bottom out in order to absorb the most impact on the softest part of your body. Unfortunately, the force of the fall could be so great that it pushes up on your tail bone causing immense bruising and even breakage.
- Spinal cord injuries: Falling on your back could cause the majority of the force to be exerted on your spine. That much force could cause chipping of the vertebrae, damage to nerves and even permanent damage to the spinal cord itself.
- Head/brain injuries. Since your skull is attached to your body by small bones, allowing for fluid movement with the neck, when you fall on your back or your chest, your neck acts as a whip to your skull. The force of the fall travels up your neck and whips your skull back. This can not only cause whiplash and neck issues, but it could add additional force to your head as it strikes the ground. This force can cause skull fractures, bruising and brain damage.
Standing Up to Negligence After a Slip and Fall
No matter how serious your injury is, if you were hurt as a result of a preventable slip and fall accident, you may be eligible for compensation. Call us today to discuss your case. You don’t deserve to pay the consequences of someone else’s negligence. Let us help you get the settlement you deserve for proper treatment. Call now.
Let us know about your unique circumstances in the comment section, or like us on Facebook and Twitter to share your slip and fall experience. By sharing your story, you could help prevent others from suffering the same fate. Please share—we’re anxious to hear from you.
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