Slip and fall accidents are the kind of accidents no one really wants to talk about. Victims often feel like people blame them for not paying attention.
Many victims are elderly or young children who can’t advocate for themselves. They may not have the capacity to understand what exactly happened. As a result, many accidents go unreported, especially in aged care facilities.
Negligence or bad building design contribute to the majority of slips, trips and falls. Many result in serious injuries or death. When experts investigate why some accidents happened, they often find that they could have been prevented.
Australia’s Comcare and other federal agencies’ research shows that thousands of serious and fatal accidents happen each year. The economic cost of these accidents is in the billions of dollars. There are also several pages on their website devoted to prevention and safety in the workplace, in elder care facilities and in public places.
Slips, Trips And Falls Are On The Rise
Several of the studies conducted during the last ten years cover trends for a specific group of people. Many of the groups studied are statistically more prone to these kinds of accidents.
The elderly, children and people working in certain jobs have a higher risk of being injured and suffering more severe and longer-lasting injuries:
- Globally, slips, trips and falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury and death after traffic accidents
- In Australia, deaths from slips and falls are five times more prevalent than deaths due to a fire
- Adults over 70, especially women, have a higher mortality rate resulting from falls than younger adults
- A university study found that in just a three-year period, falls in buildings increased by almost 15%
- The two top places where slips, trips and falls occur are in the home and in nursing / retirement home facilities
- Slips, trips and falls are the second leading cause of workplace injuries, accounting for over 20% of all injuries.
What’s Causing The Increase?
It’s a complex problem with many causes. However, with an aging population, a construction boom and rampant ignorance of workplace safety, more accidents are happening:
- On construction sites where contractors and employers fail to follow worker health and safety regulations
- At housing complexes or on private property that is poorly or inadequately maintained
- In nursing homes, retirement homes, care facilities, shopping centres and schools - due to a lack of proper lighting, slippery flooring, trip hazards, steep stairs, balconies without railings and unsafe repair procedures.
Many studies noted that a large number of these accidents are preventable. The annually-increasing medical costs to treat preventable injuries and the economic costs to industry from slips, trips and falls in the workplace are proof that more needs to be done.
How Can A Slip, Trip and Fall Lawyer Help You?
Many slip, trip and fall injuries are preventable and should not have happened. At Taylor & Scott our Slip, Trip & Fall Lawyers can investigate the cause of your accident and help you obtain compensation that you may be entitled too.
It’s important to discuss your case early on with one of our slip, trip and fall expert lawyers. Do not discuss your case with an insurance company. They are only interested in limiting the compensation you receive.
We can document the conditions where your accident happened before a property owner or employer removes or fixes the problem. We will also ensure that we gather accident reports, witness statements and try and secure any CCTV footage of your accident to assist in proving your claim.
If you are injured or hurt due to a slip, trip or fall at a shopping centre, public place, home or at work, contact Taylor & Scott. We are Sydney’s leading and most experienced injury lawyers.
We have been been helping our clients win difficult slip, trip and fall injury claims since 1905.
One of our experienced lawyers will be happy to provide a no-obligation free initial assessment of your case, drawing on the firm’s century of legal experience. In all slip, trip & fall cases, if we act for you it will be on a no WIN no PAY basis. Meaning you don’t pay any costs, unless you are successful with your claim.
At Taylor & Scott “We Care For You”.
