While a slip on a banana peel is considered a classic gag in comedy, the reality is that slip-and-fall injuries are no joke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one-out-of-five falls cause a serious injury—such as a broken bone or a head injury.
The vast majority of fall-related injuries are to the arms or legs—often resulting in a broken bone. Almost all hip fractures occur because of a fall, and these specifically can result in serious, life-changing injuries.
Falls are also the most common cause of a traumatic brain injury, and these can be even more serious if the person is on medications such as blood thinners.
Each year, more than 800,000 patients in the U.S. are hospitalized due to a fall. In New York State, specifically, injuries sustained in falls are the leading cause of injury hospitalizations for children 0-14 and adults over 25.
The cost of falls is enormous: Each year nationally, fall-related hospitalization bills total $50 billion. Of that, $38 billion is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, but the remaining $12 billion is paid by private payers or out-of-pocket. In New York alone, fall-related hospitalizations cost $1.3 billion.
The likelihood of a fall increases as people age, and for people over the age of 65, falls are of particular concern. In 2018, 36 million older adults reported falling—that's one out of every four older adults, at a rate of one person per second. And of the elderly who fell, 8 million of them needed medical treatment or had to limit their activity for at least one day.
While you might guess that most falls occur at night, and perhaps while people are climbing stairs, research has found that most falls occur in the daytime (when people are more active) and that falls occur on flat ground—meaning people usually tripped while walking. A quarter of falls result from a hazard in the environment, such as a slippery surface or poor lighting, and the majority of homes have at least one of these hazardous conditions.
All-in-all, a slip-and-fall is a very serious matter that can result in lifelong injury.
With a 100% success rate from 2014-2020, Ed Lemmo, Esq. is one of New York's top personal injury trial attorneys. Lemmo has a very high rating from AVVO, the prestigious attorney rating service, and he is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. Lemmo serves as trial counsel for many of New York's finest law firms, and his trial verdicts are regularly published in New York Jury Verdict and New York Jury Verdict Reporter. Lemmo practices in all five boroughs and upstate New York, with matters ranging from car accidents to medical malpractice.
If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall, call LemmoLaw today for a free consultation.