You’re walking along, minding your business and boom. You find yourself on the ground and in pain.
Your first thought is to get up and assess the situation, but you soon find that it’s difficult to move. You’ve suffered a serious injury, and now it’s time to seek immediate treatment.
Indoor slip-and-fall accidents are more common than many people believe. These can occur almost anywhere, including but not limited to office buildings, shopping malls and grocery stores.
Understanding the most common causes of indoor slip-and-fall accidents can help keep you safe. Here are some things to watch out for:
- Wet floors: There are many causes of wet floors, such as a recent cleaning or rainwater making its way inside.
- Inadequate notice of a wet, slick or damaged floor: Without this, you may not be able to see that danger lies ahead, which increases the risk of falling to the ground.
- Too much wax or polish: Wax and polish can help make a floor shine, while also increasing its lifespan. But too much of either increases the risk of a slip and fall.
- Failure to use non-skid ingredients: Depending on the location and type of floor, it’s critical to use a treatment with non-skid ingredients. For instance, when waxing steps, anything slippery increases the risk of a slip and fall.
- Worn or torn carpet: Low or high spots in carpet act as a trip hazard.
- Debris: Any debris on the floor, ranging from a newspaper to plastic water bottle, can cause you to lose your balance.
- Rounded, worn or missing steps: It’s easy to assume that every step is in good condition, but these have the potential to wear down over time.
- Missing or loose handrail: For instance, if you expect a handrail to provide balance but it wobbles, you could tumble to the ground and possibly down the stairs.
If you suffer any type of injury in an indoor slip-and-fall accident, stay where you are and call for help. Depending on your injuries, you may need to ask a witness to call 911 on your behalf.
Once your health allows, collect evidence and information pertaining to your accident. This will help you hold the negligent party responsible while protecting your legal rights.