The Basics Of Stairs Accidents
Brian O Sutter
Accident Lawyers
Personal Injury
Anytime someone trips, slips, or falls, they are at risk of suffering a serious injury even if the fall occurs on even ground. However, when a fall involves a staircase, the potential injuries are all the more severe and life-threatening. According to the National Safety Council, more than 1 million individuals suffer injuries from falls on the stairs on an annual basis. Furthermore, an estimated 12,000 of those fall victims do not survive their injuries.
Common injuries that usual follow an individual who has tripped, slipped, or fallen down the stairs includes:
- Broken or shattered bones
- Internal organ damage
- Internal Bleeding
- Dislocations
- Neck and back injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
Generally, property owners are liable for any stair accidents in the same way that they are liable for any kind of slip and fall accident in general. However, stairs present a number of additional dangers that require special consideration. If you have recently been in a stair accident, here is how you can determine whether the property owner is at fault for your injuries.
In order to be legally responsible for the injuries you have suffered from tripping, slipping or falling on someone else’s property, one of the following has to be true:
- The owner of the premise or an employee caused the spill, worn or torn spot, or other slippery or dangerous surface or item to be underfoot.
- The owner of the premises or an employee was aware of the dangers, but neglected to do anything about it.
- The owner of the premises or an employee should have known of the dangerous surface because any “reasonable” person taking care of the property would have discovered and removed or repaired it.
For example, many building codes require handrails for certain types of stairs, If you fall on stairs that should have had a handrail installed, but doesn’t, and this lack of handrail contributed to your fall, the owner is likely to be liable for your injuries. That aside, building codes also have requirements on the width or height of the installed stairwell and need to be installed properly. If the handrail did not meet one or any of these requirements, and it caused or contributed to your fall, they will continue to be liable for your injuries.
However, there are certain conditions that can aid in your fall that the property owners would have little fault in. For example, if the stairs are outdoors and are wet from a recent storm, the owners will not be liable if you slip due to its wetness.
Additionally, in almost slip, trip or fall case, the insurance company or court will need to consider whether it was your own carelessness that caused your accident to occur. If your actions or neglect in some way contributed to your accident, it is not likely to matter whether they too were at fault.
If you have fallen down the stairs and sustained an injury due to the neglect or actions of someone else, don’t hesitate to contact us for legal help! Here at All Injuries Law Firm, we have the experience and knowledge to get you the financial compensation you are entitled to after an accident. Contact us today for a free case review!