Slips and falls can be unavoidable but usually cause mild injuries requiring little to no medical attention. This is typically the case for minor incidents involving individuals who are in good shape. Older adults or seniors often face a different reality because they could have more risk factors than others. They also have more significant tendencies to suffer severe injuries from slips and falls because of their fragile physical health.
What can cause slips and falls?
Studies show that specific issues can make a person more prone to slipping and falling. Some contributing factors can be controllable, such as foot pain remedied by proper footwear and surrounding clutter or obstructions that can be removed.
Others can be medical in nature, which can be more challenging to resolve. They include lower body weakness, balancing problems, medication-induced impairments, poor vision and vitamin deficiency – all of which are issues experienced by older adults. When seniors slip or fall, they typically suffer worse injuries, such as broken bones, hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries.
Overwhelming seniors with other damages
In addition, seniors may suffer from medical costs that could be too much to manage alone. Costs of fall-related injuries reached around $50 billion in 2015 alone, with only 75% of expenses receiving Medicare and Medicaid coverage. In some scenarios, the average senior may become unable to pay their medical bills unless they pursue compensation for their slip-and-fall accident.
Still, an individual may only become eligible to take legal action depending on the accident’s circumstances. In these instances, they could seek counsel to determine what they can recover based on the situation. By having experienced advice and guidance, they can learn about the appropriate legal remedies to hold at-fault parties accountable for their negligence.