Anytime someone slips and falls, they are at risk of suffering serious injury, even if the fall happens on even ground. When a fall occurs on a staircase, the potential injuries often become much more severe. The National Safety Council (NSC)1 reports that more than 1 million individuals suffer injuries from falls on stairs on an annual basis in the United States. Furthermore, an estimated 12,000 of those fall victims do not survive their injuries. Even if a fall victim survives, he or she could face a long road to recovery or even a permanent disability due to the serious potential injuries that may occur.
Common Injuries in Staircase Falls
The following are only some of the injuries that victims can suffer after a fall on the stairs:
- Broken or shattered bones
- Internal organ damage
- Internal bleeding
- Dislocations
- Neck and back injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury2
Many fall victims lose consciousness and may be in a coma for a period of time. Additionally, many of these injuries require immediate emergency medical care and prolonged hospitalization that may involve surgeries and other costly and complicated procedures.
How Can Victims Recover?
Every property owner has a legal responsibility to keep their property in reasonably safe condition to avoid injury to visitors. Stairways are no different and should always be properly maintained to avoid falls and injury whenever possible. At times, people will trip and fall down the stairs simply due to lack of coordination or a misstep. In other situations, however, victims may fall because of a dangerous condition that the property owner allowed to remain on the stairs. Such conditions may include:
- Rotted or weak stair boards
- Loose or wobbly stair boards
- Stairs that are too narrow or too steep
- Inadequate lighting
- Not having sturdy or adequate railings
If a property owner allows a dangerous condition to exist and an injury occurs, the owner should be held liable for his or her negligence. You may also be able to have a FHA emotional support animal.
Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you have fallen down the stairs and sustained injury due to a dangerous, you should not delay in calling the experienced Atlanta personal injury attorneys at Spaulding Injury Law today at (770) 744-0890 for a free consultation.
