A slip and fall accident can be a harrowing experience. If you fall the wrong way, you can seriously injure yourself. You may need surgery and physical therapy from even the simplest of falls. There are a few different things that can cause a slip and fall accident.
Unsafe Ladders or Stairs
Taking the stairs for exercise can be a good way to keep in shape, but there are some situations in which it can be hazardous to your health. A business or homeowner should always take precautions to make sure their staircase is safe.
Staircases that do not have handrails are not safe and neither are those with warped steps or steps that have been worn down. If stairs are freshly waxed or polished, it is very easy to take a spill. If there is trash on a staircase and you step on a piece of it, you may slip.
It is important to hold onto handrails if they are available. Do not rush up and down the stairs and watch where you are going.
Wet Floors or Broken Flooring
Business owners must put signs up whenever they are waxing or mopping the floor. It is also imperative that uneven or loose floorboards are fixed in a timely fashion or that signs are put up to warn visitors of the danger.
If somebody spills something, it is important to clean it up right away or put up signs all over the dangerous area.
It is very easy to slip on a wet floor or trip over a loose floorboard. A business should also use a non-skid treatment on the sloping areas of highly trafficked walkways in a building. Ladies have been known to get their heels caught in ripped or uneven carpeting and uneven floor mats have been known to cause injury.
Unsafe Outdoor Areas
When you own property, you must make sure that visitors are safe on both the outside and inside of the home or building. You should perform routine maintenance on the grounds.
If a property owner does not shovel snow and spread rock salt when it is required, a visitor may slip and fall onto the ice. When a driveway or walkway is not lit properly, a person may trip over stairs or slip on something that they would have easily been able to see had the lighting been better.
A property owner should always police the grounds for trash left outside of a building or any toys left in the driveway.
What to do if You are Injured
If you slip and fall, you should try to determine what caused you to tumble. Take pictures of any unsafe conditions if you can, and ask for the contact information of any witnesses.
If you are in a business, ask to speak to the manager. They should have you fill out an accident report. When you injure yourself on private property, ask for the owner’s homeowner’s insurance information.
A property owner may try to deny responsibility. Even if they admit that their property is unsafe, the insurance company may not want to pay you your due. You should hire a slip and fall injury lawyer to make sure your bills are paid.