Connecticut Slip and Fall Accident Causes and Prevention

Posted by Richard P. Hastings | Dec 02, 2021 | 0 Comments

Connecticut Slip

Our office sees an uptick in the number of people who contact us regarding a slip and fall injury from November to early April. Most of these Connecticut slip and fall accident cases result from the prominence of snow and ice that accumulates throughout the winter season. In these cases, the injury typically occurs in parking lots, sidewalks, stairways, condominium or apartment complexes, private walkways and driveways, and other places where people will go to get products and services or meet with others in cold weather. 

Interestingly enough, some of these cases occur due to snow or water that has been tracked into grocery stores, restaurants, shopping centers, malls, stores, or other commercial locations and cause dangerously slippery conditions. While these aforementioned hazards create slip and fall accidents, different dangers are typically responsible for trip and fall accidents. These dangers include but are not limited to defective walkways, potholes or raised sidewalks, and insufficient lighting.

Unfortunately, many of these injuries are quite severe and result in fractured ankles, broken legs, fractured wrists, broken arms, spinal cord injuries, and head injuries. In addition, the impact of landing on the ground after slipping or tripping and falling could create serious medical challenges- sometimes involving plastic surgery. However, many of these injuries are preventable. When walking during the winter months, you should utilize extreme caution in conditions where the lighting is less than adequate or on defective walkways and sidewalks.

Suppose you are a property owner or responsible for maintaining the walkways and parking lots in and around your property. In that case, it is imperative that you take great care in ensuring that snow and ice removal is done promptly on a regular or as-needed basis. Additionally, all walking surfaces should be treated with salt and sand. In many of these cases, snow and ice thaws during the day and re-freezes during the night, so this process of maintaining the sidewalks and parking lots must be revisited daily and more frequently when the weather is bad.

If you are heading out during bad weather, is very important that you wear the proper footwear to reduce your risk of slipping, or tripping, and falling. You should also use handrails whenever possible and be very aware of your surroundings. You should avoid walking on snow and ice, if possible.

In certain conditions, black ice may not be visible until you are right on top of it. You should also try and walk on areas with sand or salt on them, and you should shuffle your feet across any slippery surfaces to reduce your risk of falling. It is also imperative that you be on the lookout for any hazardous conditions that may lie ahead and leave yourself additional time when traveling in situations where there is bad weather. If you are traveling at night, it is a good idea to bring a flashlight with you to improve your visibility when navigating dangerous walkways.

If you are injured due to a slip and fall or trip and fall accident, you must get the proper medical care and attention and visit the nearest hospital emergency room from the accident site- preferably via ambulance. If you can, use your cell phone to take as many pictures as possible of the place where you fell, including what caused you to fall. You should also get the name and contact information of any present witnesses who could later give a statement as to what happened. When the police or the ambulance personnel arrive, you should tell them what caused you to slip or trip and fall and point out the slippery surface or defective condition for them to take note of it.

If you are injured in a Connecticut slip and fall accident, it is very important that you contact an experienced CT accident lawyer as soon as possible. Winter slip and fall injuries are extremely time-sensitive, and there are a great number of things that need to be done as near as possible to the time you were injured. These cases can be overwhelming, and one slight misstep could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars. 

Our Ridgefield accident lawyers take these cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that we do not collect a fee unless and until we recover money damages for you. We advance the costs to develop your case so you will not come up with any money out of your pocket. These costs are only repaid to us when we collect money damages for you. If there is no recovery, then you will have no legal fees and no costs.

If you cannot travel due to the severity of your injury, then the attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh will be happy to meet with you at some location that you designate, either in the hospital, in a rehabilitative care facility, or your own home. Alternatively, you can click here to schedule a free virtual case evaluation or call us at (203)438-7450

About the Author

Richard P. Hastings

Attorney Hastings concentrates his practice on personal injury and litigation. Devoted to helping those who have suffered some type of wrong, Richard P. Hastings concentrates his law practice on personal injury law.

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