Have you ever entered a hospital without using the Emergency Room? The building is set up in a very orderly fashion, with every department having its own place. If you want to find your specific specialist, you have to follow the directory. It can be a very intimidating task to find the right department. However, this system is strictly necessary in order to keep a semblance of order. Can you imagine what it would be like if a hospital just had every department placed in the building willy nilly? Everything would be chaotic and serving patients would become impossible. Medicine is a field with many different applications and specializations. If you have heart issues then you will receive a completely different line of care than if you have migraines. Depression has a radically different treatment than diabetes. The list of possible ailments and their potential solutions is endless. It is for this reason that hospitals are so strictly divided and organized. You may be surprised to realize that even the same accident can lead to completely different physical conditions and consequences. Personal injury lawyers who are dealing with slip and fall accidents have seen countless circumstances caused by a bad fall. You would think that when every incident begins the same way, with a foot losing traction on the ice or a slippery fluid, that it would also end the same way. You would be surprised. There are many different factors that significantly alter the course of the human body between losing control and impact. We cover some of the biggest reasons and explain how treatment handles each case.
Ice and Snow Versus Other Slippery Dangers: Which Are You Most Likely to Encounter?
From what you see growing up, the most common cause of a slip and fall injury seems to be a banana peel lying out in the middle of nowhere. Of course, in the real world, the real culprits tend to be ice, snow, and oily liquids. During the winter, sidewalks can be a perilous place to walk. The city and private businesses are both expected to apply rock salt to their property, and this greatly minimizes the chance of losing your balance. Unfortunately, when the temperature drops below a certain point, rock salt is nullified, and walkways return to their dangerous state. This means that during the winter season, the vast majority of slip and fall injuries result from ice and snow. However, slip and falls are not a seasonal incident. Personal injury lawyers deal with such cases all year round. Other scenes that can lead to an injury are a freshly mopped floor in a building, a grocery store aisle where an oily product has been spilled, or a stairwell with moisture on each step.
Point of Impact: Why Your Injury Depends on How You Fall
The human body is extremely sturdy and durable in some ways and fragile in others. Humans can, with luck, walk away from a fall from tall heights or a fist fight. However, certain parts of the body are far less protected than others. Personal injury lawyers have seen people who are suffering serious injuries from a slip and fall accident due to how they landed. If you lose your balance on an icy sidewalk or slippery business floor, the first part of your body that hits the ground will affect the consequences of the accident. When someone falls forward, chances are they will be able to throw out their hands and block themselves. They may suffer from scratched hands and scraped knees, but chances are the damage won’t go beyond that. However, when you fall backwards, the body is much less adept at adapting to those circumstances. When your feet slip out beneath you, you can land on your tailbone, your back, or even your head. The severity of the accident can depend on what part of your body absorbs the shock of the fall first. If you fall on your bum, you may be able to get back up and go about your day with nothing more than a limp. However, if your spine or head hits the ground, you may suffer long term consequences to your health.
Factors That Can Affect Your Balance and The Angle of Your Fall
Beyond the point of impact, there are other factors that can change how a slip and fall injury plays out. There have been many cases that require personal injury lawyers due to a combination of these elements. For instance, men and women have different centres of gravity. Men have most of their balance in their upper body, while women rely on their lower half. This means that women are less likely to fall on slippery floors or sidewalks. Your body fat percentage can also be the difference between a serious injury and a slight pain. If you land on your bottom or hips, the amount of flesh you have shielding your muscular and skeletal systems from concrete can be very helpful. Finally, winter pedestrians who bundle up in multiple layers can attain a similar effect, as cotton and fleece may shield their bodies from the worst of a slip and fall injury.
The split second after you lose your balance and you are seemingly suspended in mid air can be terrifying. Dealing with a slip and fall injury does not mean that you should withdraw from the world and wait for it to heal alone. Personal injury lawyers can ensure that you get the care you need. The difference between a scraped knee and a serious life long injury can be a slightly different step or a patch of snow as opposed to ice. Preparing yourself for the winter season is the best way to stay safe, but if the unthinkable happens, contact qualified lawyers who can help you get through this tough time.