Slip and Fall vs. Trip and Fall Accidents

By Greg Kohn
Partner

Falls account for some of the most painful and debilitating injuries a person can experience. The CDC reports that falls are a leading cause of severe injuries and accidental deaths annually among Americans, including New Jersey residents. 

If you have been injured in a fall due to another’s negligence, you may have a legal claim for financial compensation. An experienced New Jersey premises liability attorney can help. 

When determining an approach to your case, your attorney will first need to know what type of fall you suffered: slip and fall vs. trip and fall accidents.

Slip and Fall vs. Trip and Fall Accidents in New Jersey

Unfortunately, thousands of people suffer slip and trip falls each year. While both types of falls can result in injury, there are differences between slip and fall and trip and fall accidents, impacting potential legal claims. 

The most significant differences between slip and fall vs. trip and fall accidents are related to the fall’s causes and the injuries sustained from the fall. 

Slip and Fall Accidents

In a slip and fall accident, a person’s leg generally goes upward or outward, causing them to fall back or to the side. This type of fall is often swift, and the person cannot brace themselves against a hard impact with the ground.

Slip and fall accidents generally result from something wet or slippery on the ground or flooring, resulting in lost footing and a fall.   

Common Causes:

  • Spilled ice, condensation, liquid products, cleaning or waxing solutions
  • Round objects such as toys with wheels, marbles, beads, balls, pet toys 

Common Types of Injuries:

  • Dislocated hip
  • Fractured or broken neck or back
  • Traumatic brain injury

Trip and Fall Accidents

In a trip and fall accident, a person stumbles over uneven surfaces or objects and cannot regain balance. A person’s resulting fall is to the side or face-forward, sometimes with an attempt to brace themselves with hands or arms.

Common Causes:

  • Uneven pavement 
  • Flooring in disrepair
  • Protruding fixtures or objects in a walkway
  • Bunched rugs or carpets
  • Raised door jambs

Common Types of Injuries:

  • Sprained wrists
  • Fractured hands or arms
  • Dislocated knees or hips
  • Facial abrasions or fractures

Why The Type of Accidental Fall Matters

Many of us suffer unintentional injuries as a result of accidental falls. When pursuing legal recourse for injuries sustained in an accidental fall, every detail matters. The type of fall points to specific injuries and the potential severity of those injuries. 

These differences will influence fact gathering, presentation of evidence, and possibly the amount of compensation requested.  Your New Jersey personal injury attorney will approach your case based on the type of fall you suffered.

Filing an Accidental Fall Injury Claim in New Jersey

If you or someone you love has been injured in an accidental fall, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention.  If you believe another party’s negligence caused the accident, you should also reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney for legal help.

The aftermath of an accident is problematic enough. An experienced New Jersey personal injury attorney can help navigate a claim for financial compensation while you focus on what is most important, healing and recovery.   

Contact our office today to speak with a skilled personal injury attorney who can successfully advise you regarding your case for damages. Contact our office today.

About the Author
Greg Kohn is a partner at Nagel Rice and specializes in complex civil litigation cases, including professional malpractice, personal injury, class actions, wrongful death, products liability, and commercial litigation.  He has extensive experience representing clients in both state and federal court. Greg has tried many jury trials to verdict and has recovered over $50 million in settlements and verdicts in all types of personal injury matters including automobile accidents, wrongful death cases, slip and falls, and other catastrophic injury cases. Greg also handles medical malpractice cases, involving misdiagnoses, wrongful birth, and delayed cancer diagnosis. If you have questions regarding this article, you can contact Greg here.