Baltimore Personal Injury Firm Handles Slip and Fall Injuries
Considering Filing a Premises Liability Lawsuit? Maryland Injury Lawyers Can Help
Slip and fall accidents – a spill on a snowy sidewalk, a tumble down a set of slippery stairs, or a trip over an unseen object - might seem minor at the time, but the injuries that arise later can be significant. At Collins Legal Group, we understand how serious a slip and fall accident can be and the potentially debilitating injuries that can result:
- Fractures. Broken bones suffered in slip-and-fall accidents will usually prompt a visit to an emergency room for a diagnostic X-ray. The extensive swelling that typically occurs during the first 12 hours following a fracture can make treating the injury much more difficult.
- Soft Tissue Injury. A slip-and-fall accident can result in soft tissue injuries ranging from minor ankle and wrist sprains to painful tears of the tendons and ligaments. After the initial injury, soft tissue injuries sometimes take days or even weeks to appear and can make the victim susceptible to subsequent injuries.
- Sprains and Strains. The awkward steps or arm movements that a person often takes to break their fall sometimes produce additional injuries, such as sprains or strains of the wrists or ankles. Sprains and strains involve the ligaments and can take extended time to heal, severely impacting an injured person’s mobility.
- Hip Fractures. Each year, nearly 300,000 older Americans are hospitalized with hip fractures. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 95 percent of all broken hips happen during falls. Hip fractures can require surgery involving an artificial hip implant, followed by hospitalization and extensive rehabilitation.
- Spinal Cord Injuries. If a slip and fall injury causes the spinal cord to be compressed or severed, the resulting injuries can be life-threatening and require immediate and ongoing medical attention. Severe spinal cord injuries like quadriplegia or paraplegia are often permanent and extremely expensive to treat.
Maryland Slip and Fall Law
In Maryland, businesses and property owners are not automatically responsible for slip and fall injuries that occur on their property. According to state law, property owners are only responsible for hazardous conditions they were aware of (or should have known about). However, property owners must take reasonable steps to provide a safe premises for visitors and owe a higher duty to protect invitees and social guests than they do to trespassers. If they breach this duty, they could be held liable for a slip and fall injury should the injured person file a premises liability lawsuit. The slip and fall laws in Maryland provide a three-year statute of limitations for such cases.