Falling Down The Stairs Can Cause Serious Injuries

Falls can cause injury in pretty much any setting. A simple slip and fall accident on a wet floor could, for instance, result in broken bones or a concussion. However, some of the most devastating injuries are sustained not after falling on a flat, horizontal surface, but after falling down the stairs. Often, these falls can be attributed to poor balance or ill health, but an alarming number occur because a property owner failed to take proper care of its premises. In these cases, victims could be entitled to compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. To learn more about your own recovery options following an accident on someone else’s property, please reach out to our experienced Fort Lauderdale slip and fall lawyers today.

Potential Injuries

Falling down the stairs often causes more serious injuries than other types of falls, simply because a person suffers multiple impacts before coming to rest at the bottom of the stairway. These multiple impacts can be traumatic, causing serious injury, including:

• Broken bones;
• Bruising;
• Spinal cord injuries;
• Lacerations;
• Internal injuries; and
• Head and neck injuries.

These injuries can all have far-reaching consequences, even if they seem relatively minor at the time. A spinal cord injury, for instance, can cause pain, numbness, or in severe cases, paralysis, while broken bones could take months to heal and even require the surgical use of bolts or screws. Even if a person is fortunate enough to avoid permanent impairment after a stair fall, he or she could still be forced to take time off from work and endure painful treatment in the meantime.

Common Causes

Falls can be random occurrences, caused by a momentary lack of balance, a trip, or even just a lack of attention. Many falling accidents, however, are the result of a property owner’s failure to maintain a stairway in a safe condition by:

• Failing to replace torn or loose carpeting;
• Failing to warn visitors of wet stairs or a spill;
• Failing to repair uneven or warped stairs;
• Failing to address weaknesses in the flooring;
• Failing to install adequate lighting;
• Failing to de-ice outdoor stairwells; or
• Failing to repair or replace broken handrails.

All of these examples could be indicative of a property owner’s failure to make his or her premises safe for visitors. However, an injured party will only be able to prove that a property owner was negligent by conducting an investigation, which could require taking photos of the stairs, obtaining the names and contact information of eyewitnesses, and being sure to save careful fall-related medical records.

Speak with an Experienced Slip and Fall Lawyer

If you were hurt after falling down the stairs because of a property owner’s negligence, you could be entitled to compensation for your losses. Filing this type of claim can, however, be complicated without the help of a dedicated slip and fall attorney. To learn more, please call Boone & Davis at 954-566-9919 today.

Resource:

leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0768/Sections/0768.0755.html