Slips and falls do not seem bad, but they can result in some terrible injuries. Depending on factors like your age and the body part that received the impact, these injuries might range from minor scrapes to potentially life-threatening trauma. Here are some severe injuries you might get from a slip-and-fall accident.
Bone fractures
Slipping and falling can be particularly dangerous for older adults and those with weakened bones, such as people with osteoporosis. Such an accident might result in fractured arms, legs, ribs and hips, often debilitatingly painful and requiring a long recovery time.
Soft tissue injuries
A slip-and-fall can injure soft tissues like muscles, tendons and ligaments. When ignored, such injuries may worsen, leading to decreased mobility, permanent tissue damage and long-term pain.
Nerve damage
Your accident can result in nerve injuries. These usually manifest through feelings of numbness, tingling and weakness in the body parts close to the damaged nerves. You might also experience intense and chronic pain.
Spine damage
Falling on your back can hurt your spine and spinal cord, causing severe pain. In extreme cases, such an injury might lead to irreversible paralysis.
Traumatic brain injury
Contrary to what some people believe, you can suffer a traumatic brain injury even if you do not hit your head during a fall. Unfortunately, such an injury does not always show immediately visible signs. A traumatic brain injury can lead to severe and long-lasting pain, secondary injuries, disability or death.
Visiting a doctor after a slip-and-fall accident is generally wise, even when you do not show signs of significant injury. If there is any reason to believe the accident occurred because of another party’s negligence, a personal injury lawyer can help you build a case and fight for your rights.