Slip, Trips And Falls

Although slips, trips and falls might sound like minor accidents, the consequences of them can be serious and long lasting. If you suffer one of these incidents and you are physically injured (or suffer from any other types of long term consequences), then you may be interested in making a slip, trip or fall claim.

Slips, trips and fall claims usually arise when someone has suffered an injury following an accident which was preventable; for example, if a person falls over a broken paving slab which should have been fixed. In the majority of claims cases like these, a specialist lawyer will be able to secure you a compensation settlement without having to take the claim to court.

Common injuries claimed for

Sprains

It is very easy to sprain an ankle or a wrist in a fall. A sprain occurs when the joint has been damaged, but the bone has not broken. Even though sprains are not as serious as breaks, they can still impact on your ability to live your life to the fullest. Depending on the severity of the sprain and the location on your body, the damage caused can affect you for months.

Broken bones

One of the most common medical complaints which arise as a result of slipping or falling are broken bones. This can be as minor as a broken finger, to something as major as a broken back or neck. If you are unable to work as a result of your broken bone, then you may be able to claim for loss of earnings as part of your slip trip and fall claims! The same applies for any type of injury on this list. You may be assessed by an external medical advisor who will ascertain what your break is preventing you from doing, and whether this would affect your ability to earn a living.

Lacerations or other open wounds

If you suffer a laceration or open wound as a result of your accident, then it is important that you take steps to clean and dress it in a sanitary environment. Although a wound may only look minor, if they are not cleaned and dressed properly, then they can easily become infected. In the worst case scenarios, an infected wound can lead to sepsis or even death.

If the environment where you fell was unsanitary, or if you were around any harmful chemicals, then you should always get a medical professional to clean and monitor your wound. If you have experienced any infections or other unusual medical symptoms on or around the area of a wound, you should always mention this to your legal specialist, as they may be able to use this information to increase your claim value.

Whiplash

Although whiplash is normally associated with car accidents, it is possible to get whiplash from any incident where your head is thrown forward or backward suddenly. A trip or fall can easily cause the head or neck to be thrown suddenly forward or backwards. That is why many slip, trip and fall claims actually involve a whiplash element.

Head injuries

Head injuries can present themselves as internal or external injuries; they may not be immediately obvious. If you bang your head when you fall, you may damage your brain or suffer issues which affect your major senses (smell, hearing, sight, taste). If you hit your head, you should visit a doctor immediately, because they may be able to spot symptoms which have not presented themselves yet.

Although concussions are still under researched, doctors believe that concussions can lead to ongoing psychological symptoms.

Psychological issues

Not all of the problems which are covered by slips, trips and falls claims are physical injuries. A bad fall can leave you with post-traumatic stress disorder, or may result in you suffering from recurring flashbacks. These complaints can seriously affect your quality of life, and lead to trouble sleeping, anxiety in social situations, trouble concentrating whilst you are at work, and many other issues. People sometimes do not realise that these issues or other changes in their personality are actually as a direct result of a slip, trip or fall.