It is estimated that more than one million people each year are injured in accidents in which they slip, trip or fall, with some 17,000 dying as a result.
Unsafe work conditions, wet or icy floors and sidewalks, inadequate lighting, or poor maintenance can all be causes of so-called slip-and-fall accidents.
Falls alone – from ladders, roofs, scaffolding, vehicles and other work areas – caused 827 deaths on the job in 2006, the latest year for which the government had finalized statistics. But people were also injured or killed at a variety of other premises, including private and public property, such as nursing homes.
If you or someone you love suffered a serious injury or death as the result of a fall, you may want to contact a slip and fall lawyer. In Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, call Kline & Specter, PC at 800-243-1100. We have more than 50 slip and fall attorneys, several of whom are also doctors, and we offer complimentary evaluations for possible slip and fall injury lawsuits.
In one case handled by the firm, a federal jury handed down a $19.9 million verdict for a teenage girl who was severely injured in a Delaware hospital when staff and security failed to protect her from a visitor to another patient who pulled a crutch out from her. The incident left her confined to a wheelchair. (See the Sparber Case)
A study conducted by the University of Florida found that the most frequent injury suffered in slips and falls were injuries to the back, which accounted for about one-third of the total. More than another one-third was injuries to other joints, including the wrist, elbow, shoulder, ankle, knee and hip.
The study concluded that roughly one in seven disabling work-related injuries were due to slips, trips or falls, many from elevated areas. And nearly one-third of all such fatalities were suffered on the job.
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In many of these cases and non-workplace slip-and-fall injuries, the employer or property owner may have been negligent in their responsibility to provide a safe jobsite or premises, in which case they could be liable for damages.
Please call 800-243-1100 to speak with one of our experienced attorneys about a slip and fall lawsuit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Delaware.
Transit agencies and the city of Philadelphia have paid millions of dollars to victims of slip-and-fall accidents in subways and they have yet to fix the hazards. The problem of leaking ceilings and slippery floors remain even after they caused serious injuries to passengers. At trial in one slip-and-fall case, SEPTA workers testified they had reported the leak to supervisors for years. SEPTA has had 513 slip-and-fall cases in the last five years, and two Philadelphia region port authorities have paid $17.6 million for 46 cases over the last 10 years.