Every year, millions of Americans wind up in the emergency room due to a slip and fall injury. In the blink of an eye, an unfortunate victim’s life can be changed forever. What can start as a simple slip and fall can end in an irreversible injury that lasts a lifetime.
Slip and fall accidents are the top cause of worker’s compensation claims. It’s also the second most common cause of unintentional fatalities. Some slip and fall injuries are seemingly minor yet result in long-term health effects.
If you have recently been involved in a slip and fall accident, it’s in your best interest to seek medical attention and contact an attorney. It may worsen, and you could be eligible to receive compensation. Below are five surprisingly serious slip and fall injuries you should watch out for.
Hip Fractures
Slips, whether on wet or dry surfaces, are always awkward motions. Humans aren’t designed to fall suddenly. Often, when people lose their balance or slip, people fall on their hip or side.
A slip and fall can result in a bruised or broken hip at any age, but the risk increases for victims over the age of 55. In fact, people over the age of 85 are 10-15 times more likely to break their hip than someone who is 60-65.
People under the age of 50 can slip and fall and feel better after a few days with a bruise, not knowing that there may long-term health effects involved. Hip fractures are one of the serious slip and fall injuries because they usually require surgery and involve months of recovery time.
Sometimes, if you break your hip after a fall, you’ll have to spend a few days in the hospital and attend rehabilitation sessions. Not only do injuries like this throw your life off track, but there is a lot of pain involved.
To improve, you’ll require extensive medical care that can be extremely expensive. If your injury was the result of someone else’s negligence and carelessness, then you need to be compensated.
Head Injuries
Head injuries are among the most serious injuries that people can sustain in falls. In severe cases, they can leave victims with long-term problems that can prevent them from working or living independently.
If you hit your head during a fall, it’s important to see your physician right away at an urgent care facility or an emergency room. Even minor head injuries need to be checked out, as concussions and more serious brain injuries can result in serious complications.
If a head injury goes untreated, the consequences can last the rest of your life. If you lose consciousness, bleeding, or swelling, you should seek immediate medical attention. You could have a traumatic brain injury or a concussion.
At first, both injuries can have minor symptoms. Detecting early head injuries can be challenging because you may truly believe that you are fine. Even if your head didn’t hit a surface, but you were violently jolted or jarred, you could still be injured. Talk to a medical specialist to learn more about what you can expect after a slip or fall occurs.
Neck, Back, and Spinal Cord Injuries
If you’ve endured a slip and fall injury, you already realize that your body is much more fragile than you originally thought. Parts of your body you never knew about may be causing pain, potentially affecting your ability to perform everyday tasks or enjoy certain activities.
When your neck, back, or spinal cord experience violent twisting, jarring, or impact, a lot of things can go wrong. You may suffer from some of the following:
- Chronic back pain
- Swelling and bruising
- Brachial plexus injury
- Sensory or neurological impairment
- Herniated or slipped discs
- Temporary or permanent paralysis
- Fractured vertebrae
Damage to your neck, back, and spinal cord will require comprehensive treatment before your life can get back to normal. For some people, pain and damage can be chronic and permanent.
When this happens at no fault of your own, we can help you get the compensation you deserve to restore balance back to your life.
Injuries to Your Extremities
During a fall, people naturally try to catch themselves. With that said, your hands and feet are the first to come in contact with the ground or another hard surface. As a result, you could endure swelling, bruises, and cuts.
In addition, you could receive damaged ankles, sprained wrists, and broken fingers. Feet, toes, forearms, and hands are usually injured in slip and fall accidents. Soft tissue damage in these extremities is difficult to detect because they aren’t visible to the naked eye.
You may have torn ligaments and tendons or a sprained wrist or ankle and not even know it. If you don’t receive immediate treatment after the injury, things can get worse, and the recovery process can be more challenging.
It can also be more difficult to connect your injury as the sole reason behind your personal injury lawsuit.
Elbow or Knee Injury
Knees and elbows naturally pivot during a fall. They can violently strike the ground or another hard surface, causing extensive damage and pain. Just because you can move your elbow or knee after an injury doesn’t mean that you’re in the clear.
Speak to your doctor immediately and request an examination. Not only can you prevent long-term damage and save money on preventive healthcare measures, but you can also punish the party responsible for your pain and suffering.
Minor elbow and knee injuries can result in joint and nerve issues later on. The party responsible may try to reassure you that you’re fine and no real harm was done. Don’t let them fool you, especially if their carelessness can potentially affect your life.
Call Us Today to Speak with a South Carolina Slip and Fall Attorney
Slip and fall accidents have the potential to leave victims with significant long-term medical problems. If you have been injured due to the negligence of someone else and need a personal injury attorney in South Carolina, give us a call at (864) 388-9100 or contact us online to speak to a member of our legal team.
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