A previous post on this blog discussed how falls are actually the second leading cause of spinal cord injuries. However, Worcester, Massachusetts residents should also be aware that falls are also the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs.
Although the exact symptoms and types of TBI are beyond the scope of this post, Worcester residents are probably well aware that a brain injury can and often does have serious and life-altering consequences. What this means is that a fall, even one that does not seem bad, can effectively ruin a person’s life and his or her chances at continuing to maintain a job and have a steady income.
Falls account for 47 percent of TBIs which are serious enough to require a trip to the emergency room or a stay in the hospital. It seems that senior citizens, as well as children, are at the highest risk of suffering a TBI related to a fall. Of those TBI injuries that require a person over 65 to stay in the hospital or visit the emergency room, 79 percent of them are related to a fall. That number is 54 percent for people under 14.
As this blog has stated previously, a slip-and-fall accident is a very serious matter, and certainly not an excuse for a person to sue. Many victims of falls, even when the fall is not from a particularly great height, do not ever fully recover and may require constant care and assistance after their injury. When a company or other person contributed to the fall by, for example, not keeping their property properly safe and secure, compensation may be available to the victims.
