Slip-and-fall incidents at businesses are a top cause of premises liability claims. When businesses don’t maintain safe and clean facilities, visitors can end up injured as a result. Slip-and-falls can cause an assortment of different injuries.
Some people sustain lacerations and other soft tissue injuries when they fall. Others might hit their heads, putting them at risk of a traumatic brain injury. Broken bones are also a common outcome of same-level falls.
Anyone could slip and fall if there is poorly-maintained flooring or an unattended-to spill left in the middle of a store’s aisle. However, older adults are at particularly high risk. How does age affect slip-and-fall incidents?
Older adults are more likely to fall
According to federal research, one in four adults aged 65 or older falls each year. There are many factors that contribute to fall risk among older adults.
A changing center of gravity caused by spinal compression can leave people unsteady on their feet. Some older adults even develop conditions like vertigo, which may affect their equilibrium unexpectedly.
A reduction in overall strength and flexibility can prevent an older adult from stopping a fall in progress. Vision issues and other age-related challenges can contribute to the likelihood of an older adult falling.
Injury risk is higher as well
When older adults fall, they are at much higher risk of sustaining a broken bone than younger people in the same situation. Lower bone density is one of the reasons for that risk.
Declining muscle mass also contributes to that risk, as people cannot successfully brace themselves when they fall. They could break a bone by trying to stop themselves or be at higher risk of a brain injury because they don’t try to catch themselves.
Stores and other facilities open to the public generally need to ensure that they are safe for people of all ages. They need to address risk factors such as choking hazards that are accessible to toddlers and the mobility limitations of older adults.
If businesses do not ensure that they are safe and accessible for visitors, then they may be liable when people get hurt. Pursuing slip-and-fall compensation successfully can help people cover medical expenses, lost wages and other costs associated with an incident.
