Pop culture has attempted to turn the “slip and fall” into a running joke. A person slides on a puddle of spilled orange juice in the grocery store, suffers a slight bruise to their thigh, and then sues the grocery store for millions of dollars. The reality is much more alarming. Not only are real slip and fall accidents extremely common; they are also extremely dangerous. Especially among the elderly, slip and fall accidents commonly lead to broken hips, broken wrists, and cranial injuries, among other bone fractures and breaks. Slip and fall accidents are, in fact, often fatal. Slips, trips, and falls can lead to traumatic brain injury, damage to the spinal cord, and other fatal injuries. Continue reading to learn about the true dangers of slip and fall accidents, and call a seasoned Bronx slip and fall attorney if you were hurt in a slip and fall accident in New York.
Slip and Fall is a Leading Cause of Death in the Workplace
Slip and fall accidents are among the most fatal form of workplace incidents in the country. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists falls as one of the leading causes of fatal occupational injuries nationwide. In 2020, “falls, slips, trips” accounted for close to 17% of all fatal workplace accidents in the country. Many of those were same-level falls rather than falls from heights. Over a third of those fatalities involved construction workers. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), another 211,640 workers were injured severely enough to miss work in fall-related accidents. In certain injuries, falls are the leading cause of death.
New York’s workplace fatality statistics paint a similar picture. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “falls, slips, trips” accounted for 22 percent of fatal workplace injuries across the state. That puts slips, trips, and falls tied for second place among causes of fatal workplace injuries, just behind “exposure to harmful substances or environments.” Slip and falls in the workplace are very common, and often fatal.
Outside the Workplace, Slip and Falls Are a Leading Cause of Death
Based on any number of different statistics, slip and falls are extremely dangerous both inside and outside the workplace. Slip and falls account for over half of all accidental deaths that occur in the home. In 2019 alone, more than 6.8 million people were treated in emergency rooms for fall-related injuries, and over 32,000 people were killed across the country in slip and fall accidents. In 2020, between work and home, over 42,000 died from fall-related injuries. Slip and fall accidents account for more severe injuries every year in the United States than even motor vehicle accidents.
The dangers are even more pronounced for the elderly: Around a third of all people aged 65 and older in the country will experience a serious fall every year. Slip and fall is the single leading cause of injury-related death among people aged 65 and older in the United States, and it is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among all people in the country. Slip and fall accidents should be taken extremely seriously, and if your loved one was killed in a slip and fall incident, you are not alone.
Call a Dedicated Slip and Fall Injury Attorney
If you or someone you care about has been hurt on someone else’s property in New York, find out if you’re entitled to money damages for your injuries by contacting the passionate and dedicated New York construction accident lawyers at the Bronx offices of the Kohn Law Firm for a free consultation at 718-409-1200.