Thousands of people in Illinois are injured each year in slip and falls, and they end up with painful injuries. Some of the most common hazards that cause slip and falls include snow and ice, defective floors, uneven steps, or buckled floorboards. Trash and debris, as well as spilled liquids, are also common reasons people lose their footing.
Below, we look at injuries from slip and fall accidents and encourage you to contact Michael J. Lichner today to schedule a free consultation with a Joliet slip and fall lawyer. We have won millions in compensation for accident victims in Will County, and we are happy to discuss our services in more detail.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A head injury is common when a person falls. Although they might try to brace themselves for impact, some victims fall backwards or cannot extend their arms. Other victims strike their head on the corner of a table or bureau and could be knocked unconscious. The force against the skull can shake the brain, impairing its normal operation.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are enormously disruptive, and our clients often struggle with disabling symptoms:
- Dizziness or nausea
- Loss of balance
- Impaired coordination
- Memory loss
- Double vision
- Neck stiffness
- Personality changes
Slip and fall victims should go to the hospital for diagnosis, but be warned: this type of injury heals slowly. A person might be unable to leave home for months as their brain heals.
Strains and Sprains
Muscles, tendons, and ligaments can be injured in a fall, either when a person lands on the ground or strikes something on their way there. These injuries cause swelling and pain. You might also have a bruise.
Soft tissue injuries range widely in terms of severity. Some only require icing and compression to control swelling and help reduce pain. However, other injuries could require surgery to repair torn tissue. Although perhaps not the most dramatic injury, strains and sprains keep many people from returning to work until they get their pain under control.
Whiplash
Although commonly associated with rear-end collisions, whiplash is one of the most common slip-and-fall injuries. After a victim falls, their head can rebound and stretch or tear the tissue in the back of the neck. Some symptoms that develop include:
- Neck stiffness
- Limited range of movement
- Pain in the shoulders and upper back
- Intense headaches
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Like other soft tissue injuries, whiplash often requires extended rest so a person can heal. Any strenuous exercise can aggravate the injury, delaying recovery or requiring surgery to correct.
Disc Herniation or Damage
Discs provide a cushion between vertebrae in a person’s spine. Without these discs, a person could suffer agonizing pain whenever they bend over or twist their back. Unfortunately, a fall can damage these discs by either displacing them or causing them to tear. This type of injury can happen anywhere in the neck or back.
Common symptoms include weakness or numbness in the affected area, as well as pain if the inner material presses directly against a nerve.
Unfortunately, discs are hard to fix once damaged because they do not repair themselves. A doctor will try to limit pain and reduce inflammation, but surgical replacement might be the only way to obtain permanent pain relief.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are some of the most serious injuries a slip and fall victim can suffer. The vertebrae that surround the cord should provide ample protection, but a person who falls down a flight of stairs or strikes something could damage the cord itself.
Spinal cord injuries are disruptive, and many victims suffer from:
- Impaired movement below the site of injury. A person might be fully paralyzed, or the movement is so compromised that they cannot walk unassisted.
- Impaired sensation. A person’s ability to feel sensations like heat or cold can become impaired with an injury.
Spinal cord injuries are some of the most expensive, rivaled only by major brain injuries. Reach out to an experienced slip and fall lawyer for help calculating your full medical expenses and other economic losses.
Spinal Column Injury
Falls can damage the spinal column, not simply the cord. Common slip and fall injuries include:
- Dislocation. One or more vertebrae could be forced out of alignment.
- Spinal stenosis. This injury results in a narrowing of the channel through which the spinal cord passes. You might experience constant compression of the cord.
- Fracture. Vertebrae can fracture depending on the force applied to the spine on impact.
Any spinal column injury is an emergency. Your medical team will want to keep it from progressing and leading to damage to the cord. These injuries are also disabling, because few people can sit up for extended periods with a back injury.
Broken Hip
The hip is complicated and has many parts. When landing on it, you might damage the ball and socket joint or one of the other bones in the hip. Complications include blood loss or even bone death if not treated properly. Some elderly clients never recover from a hip fracture, so they might end up permanently in a nursing home.
Shoulder Injuries
Many pedestrians land on their shoulders when they fall, resulting in:
- Dislocation. The arm bone might pop out of the socket..
- Rotator cuff injury. The muscles surrounding the shoulder can be damaged and impair a person’s ability to use their arm.
- Fracture. Like the hip, a shoulder has many bones, and a fall could break one or more of them.
Do not try to pop your shoulder back in or self-diagnose why you feel pain in the region. Instead, go to the hospital.
Get the Legal Help You Need after a Fall
Obtaining financial compensation for a fall requires careful planning and detailed knowledge of Illinois premises liability law. A property owner is not automatically liable if you fall on their property. Instead, accident victims must prove the owner failed to act with sufficient care. Michael J. Lichner is happy to meet with anyone who was injured to discuss possible legal remedies. Contact us today!