Falls account for more than 8 million hospital emergency room visits, making up 21.3% of visits. Of that 8 million, a million involve slip and falls (12% of total falls). Over 9 million disabling slip ad falls occur per year. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has linked flooring material as a direct contributing factor in over two million fall injuries a year. According to a survey taken by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 35 % of work related injuries are related to a fall and slip and falls account for 65% of work days lost.
The elderly (adults over age 55) are more prone to fall related accidents. In fact one in three elder individuals fall each year and often will fall again in the future. Over 60% of nursing home residents fall each year and as we age a fall can pose more serious injuries. Half of all elderly adults are hospitalized for hip fractures and cannot return to living alone after a hip fracture without some assistance.
A slip and fall can occur any number of places: at a house, sidewalk, a shopping center, restaurant, or various other places. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, each year over a million Americans suffer a slip and fall annually. Of those incidents more than 17,000 people die as a result of a slip and fall accident.
Compensation and medical costs associated with slip and falls is approximately $ 70 billion annually. In the U.S. alone falls estimated $13-14 million per year. Serious falls can lead to disability, either temporary or permanent, leaving victims unable to return to work or other activities. Expenses for medical treatment of slip and fall injures amount to nearly 3.5 million per hour every day. On average a victim of a slip and fall accident can cost nearly $20,300.
Injuries related to slip and falls do not just include scratches, abrasions, and minor fractures. The most common cause of traumatic brain injuries are falls, which are also the leading cause of nonfatal medically treated injuries in the U.S. Injuries sustained from a slip and fall can cause life changing damage. Often victims of a slip and fall will have lingering pains and relating issues after treatment.