Florida Slip-And-Fall Accidents Can Cause Long-Term Injuries

In this day and age, a slip-and-fall accident is often not taken as seriously as it should be, for a variety of reasons – there are even pop culture ‘memes’ about old commercials and slip-and-fall accidents involving the elderly. In reality, a slip-and-fall accident can cause serious, long-term injuries, particularly in those over the age of 65. If you have been injured in this type of accident and you believe that negligence played a role, you have the right to seek damages for what you have been through.

Causes & Effects

A fall is one of the potentially dangerous events that can happen to anyone, though they are more common in the very old and very young – data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that falls are the leading cause of injury (fatal and non-fatal) for adults over the age of 65, while in very young children, falls will happen as they develop, but their fragility can make even minor falls potentially dangerous.

A slip-and-fall accident can happen almost anywhere, from one’s own home to the busiest public places, and because the circumstances of most falls vary widely, so do the potential injuries that may result from them. Some of the most common include broken bones, concussions, and nerve damage, though the latter two in particular may not make themselves known until hours or days after a fall.

Hurt On Someone Else’s Property

If a person falls in their own home, it is likely that no one else bears a share of the blame. However, it is much more possible to think negligence is a factor in a slip-and-fall accident in public, or on another person’s property. Landowners (and/or business owners) have a duty of care to visitors (though Florida law allows this to be of varying degrees depending on the visitor’s status) – failure to uphold that duty can render them liable for damages.

There is one specific exception in Florida law, and that is the so-called “transitory foreign substance” statute. It holds that if a person slips on a ‘substance’ in a “business establishment,” the injured plaintiff must show that the business had “actual or constructive knowledge” that the substance was there and should have been cleaned up. This is easier said than done for many, but it does not mean that any case of this nature is impossible to win.

Call An Orlando Slip-and-Fall Accident Attorney

Anyone can slip and fall, and contrary to popular belief, the consequences can be heavy. An Orlando slip-and-fall accident attorney from the Hornsby Law Group can help to give you the best chance at financial recovery, while you focus on the physical. Contact our office at (407) 499-8887 to schedule a consultation.

Source:

cdc.gov/falls/data-research/index.html