Kentucky Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents

Falls can cause serious and catastrophic injuries, as well as fatalities. Brain trauma, spinal cord injuries, severe fractures, facial injuries, organ damage, paralysis, and many other injuries can result in permanent disability, chronic pain, and death.

While any person of any age may be injured in a slip or trip and fall, older people are at a greater risk of serious injury or death. The former head of Fox News, Roger Ailes, recently died at age 77 from a brain injury caused by an accidental fall.

A Premises Owner’s Responsibility

Owners and operators of real property where members of the public are invited or have access for any legitimate purpose have a legal obligation to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition in order to prevent harm to those who are legally on the premises. Fall accidents occur on public property, in shopping centers, malls, supermarkets, big box stores, office buildings, apartment buildings, worksites, schools, hotels and motels, restaurants bars, nightclubs, schools, parks, recreation facilities, hospitals, homes, and many other locations. If the owner or other responsible party causes or allows a dangerous condition to exist and fail to warn people and/or provide barriers to protect them from the hazard, and someone is injured or killed as a result, the party responsible for the maintenance of the premises—an owner, lessee, manager, or maintenance contractor—may be held liable for the injured person’s damages. This is known as the legal doctrine of “premises liability.” This means that if you have suffered a serious injury or a member of your family was killed in a fall that:

  1. Occurred on someone else’s premises,
  2. While you were on the premises legally,
  3. Was caused by the negligence or deliberate wrongdoing of the owner, manager, or other parties responsible for the property’s condition
  4. Caused you significant damages

you could be entitled to make a claim against the responsible party to recover money to compensate you for your damages—both economic damages like lost earnings and medical expenses, and damages to your quality of life, such as pain, suffering, mental anguish, disability, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of your life, loss of consortium, and so forth.

Your personal injury attorney will gather the evidence to prove the defendant’s liability and to document your damages and will negotiate with the insurance company covering the property for a fair settlement. In some cases, it may be necessary to take your case to court and try it before a jury, so it is important to choose an attorney with not only excellent negotiating skills but also significant courtroom experience. You can find the quality and legal experience you are looking for at the Bowling Green, Kentucky, law firm of Lowder & McGill, PLLC.

Falls Are a Leading Cause of Injury and Accidental Death

These are some statistics that illustrate how dangerous slip, trip, and fall accidents can be:

  • One in five falls results in a serious injury.
  • More than 700,000 people of all ages are admitted to U.S. hospitals every year because of injuries caused by falls; around 30,000 fatal falls occur per year.
  • The elderly suffer disproportionately from fall-related injuries. Around 2.5 million older people are seen in hospital emergency rooms yearly for treatment for fall injuries. Around a quarter of a million Americans age 65 and older are admitted to hospitals every year with hip fractures,
  • Fall accidents are not limited to the elderly. A survey by Purdue University found that approximately half of all college-age students experienced a fall during routine activities in a four-month period.
  • Medical costs for fall injuries total around $34 billion per year, with an average cost of $35,000 for each hospital admission.

Of course, not every accident is someone else’s fault. Sometimes an accident is simply… accidental. Sometimes a person simply loses his or her balance or falls while doing something that is inherently unsafe.

In other words, unless you can prove that your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you will not be able to recover compensation for your damages. If you are unsure if you are entitled to make a claim, discuss your situation with an experienced Kentucky personal injury lawyer. Call the Bowling Green, Kentucky, personal injury law firm of Lowder & McGill, PLLC, for straightforward answers to all of your legal questions regarding your accident.

Common Causes of Slip or Trip and Fall Accidents Attributable to Premises Negligence

  • Floors that have become wet and slippery during cleaning or as a result of spills or leaks
  • Freshly waxed or highly polished floors
  • Uneven floors
  • Torn or uneven carpets
  • Low lighting conditions
  • Unmarked drop-offs
  • Staircases lacking handrails
  • Electric cords, debris, or obstacles in aisles, paths or walkways
  • Food or drinks spilled on a floor
  • Fallen merchandise in store aisles
  • Potholes and pavement cracks
  • Wet pavement from irrigation systems or wet leaves
  • Roots growing beneath sidewalks causing cracks or elevation of the pavement
  • Snow or ice on a sidewalk or parking lot

Getting the Help You Need Following a Slip, Trip, and Fall Injury in Western Kentucky

At Lowder & McGill, PLLC, you will find the experienced, competent legal representation that can maximize the chances of getting the highest settlement amount that the circumstances of your accident and the law allow. We can often obtain an excellent recovery without your ever having to go to court, but if the property insurance company is balking and has failed to offer fair and adequate compensation for your losses, we will never hesitate to take your case to trial. We are highly skilled trial lawyers who are in top form in the courtroom, where we know how to present a convincing and well-documented case to a jury. We are committed to doing everything possible and to working as long and hard as is necessary to get you the money you need to get your life back on track after your accident.

Call Lowder & McGill today to schedule a free consultation with one of our dedicated personal injury attorneys. You pay us nothing until we win money for you.