If you are tired of spending time at home, you’re not alone. Now that many pandemic restrictions are fading, most people cannot wait to get out again. For many, that will mean visiting restaurants and other businesses on a more frequent basis.
Unfortunately, history shows that as long as there have been commercial establishments inviting the public to visit, there have been slip and fall and trip and fall accidents. When these accidents occur, the injured patrons can suffer injuries ranging from mild to extremely severe. Serious injuries can result in hospitalization, difficult rehabilitation, and even death.
In this article, we will discuss some of the serious injuries in slip and fall cases.
Premises Liability Law in Oregon Premises
“Slip and fall” and “trip and fall” are phrases used to describe accidents that are governed by “premises liability” law. In Oregon, under the rules of premises liability, a person is referred to as an “invitee” when visiting a business at the invitation of the possessor or owner of the property. The owner or legal possessor of the property has a duty to protect invitees from known dangers and from dangers the owner should know about. Moreover, an invitee must be warned of latent dangers. If this duty is breached, the injured invitee is entitled to recover damages for the resulting injuries by filing a premises liability claim.
Sometimes, the legal analysis is more complicated and deals with risk foreseeability. Our experienced premises liability attorneys can assist you with this analysis.
Slip and Fall Injuries
Many people slip and fall without suffering serious injury. Unfortunately, many others aren’t so lucky. According to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), falls result in more than 8 million visits to emergency rooms each year. Slip and falls represent about 1 million of those falls. Slip and falls also represent the leading cause of people missing time from work due to occupational injury and are the largest cause of workers’ compensation claims.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the number one cause of injury for older adults. In addition, falls constitute the number one cause of death for older Americans. The CDC reports that Oregon is among those states with a higher incidence of falls.
Some of the serious injuries associated with falls include:
- Broken bones – It is not uncommon for falls to result in broken foot, ankle, and other leg bones. People who fall often reach out to brace themselves and as a result can also break a wrist, arm, or hand bone. Older people are especially vulnerable to broken hips, which can have devastating consequences.
- Head injuries – People often hit their heads when they fall, which can lead to damaged bones on the face or skull. Falls can also lead to concussions of varying severity.
- Traumatic brain injury – If a head injury is serious enough, it can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI). In fact, the CDC reports that falls are the number one cause of traumatic brain injury. TBI can cause life-long debilitating consequences, including higher likelihood of seizures, infections, pneumonia, and more.
Call with Questions
If you or a loved one has suffered injury or death as the result of a slip and fall on someone else’s property, you will certainly have questions about your legal rights and how to be fairly and properly compensated. The experienced premises liability attorneys at Nelson MacNeil Rayfield will be happy to answer those questions in a free consultation. We genuinely believe that by helping to hold wrongdoers accountable for their actions, we can help make Oregon safer for everyone.