Falls can cause devastating injuries to victims, and can sometimes those injuries can even be fatal. It is the responsibility of property owners to take steps to reduce the chances of a fall injury occurring. If a property owner is negligent in maintaining the property in a safe and effective way, this can result in the property owner being held accountable for all injuries related to the fall. New York City slip and fall lawyers can provide assistance in taking legal action against those who own property where falls occur.
While it is the legal obligation of property owners to avoid creating unsafe conditions that cause falls, there are steps that individuals can take to try to protect themselves if they do suffer a fall. WRVO, for example, reported on the “right way” to fall to try to avoid seriously hurting yourself if you do take a tumble.
How Can You Reduce the Risk of Injury When You Fall?
When you start to lose your balance and fall, your instinct is to try to catch yourself. Unfortunately, when you do this, your body tends to become rigid and you reach out with your hands. The likely result of this is that you suffer fractures of the wrist. Wrist fractures are so common when people slip and trip that they have actually been given a nickname: FOOSH injuries, which stands for injuries caused by falling-on-outstretched-hands.
Instead of trying to catch yourself, there is a better way to fall that is less likely to result in becoming badly hurt. To fall the right way, try first to grab onto anything that is stable around you, such as a wall or a piece of furniture. Even if you are not able to prevent yourself from taking a tumble, you can still slow down the rate of the fall in order to reduce the chances that you will be hurt.
Whether you can grab something on your fall or not, the goal of a fall should be primarily to protect your head and then to protect as many other parts of the body as well. You should try to tuck your chin down and in and you should cover your head to prevent trauma. You should also try to roll into a ball to keep other body parts, including organs, wrists, and knees safe when you land.
When you try to stand up after a fall, you also need to be cautious about how you rise from the ground. Start by rolling onto your side and then move first onto your hands and knees. Next, kneel up and then stand up one knee at a time, getting help if you need it.
If you have been hurt in the fall, you should seek medical attention and get appropriate legal help in holding a negligent property owner accountable for causing your fall. Contact Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff to learn more about the legal options available to you for making a fall injury claim.