Although the two have similar sounding names, the two main variances between slip and fall cases and trip and fall cases are what caused the fall and the injuries received during the accident. A slip occurs when the victim was slipped on a wet floor or other slippery surface and a trip occurs when the victim actually trips over an object. Usually, a fall is caused by slipping or tripping.
A trip and fall accident are defined as a happening when a person “trips” over something, such as a broken or uneven patch of the sidewalk, an object, or any other physical obstacle, and falls from it. Trips and falls are common, due to lose items on shelves, in aisles or on floor fixtures in department stores, hotel lobbies and other high traffic areas. These can be items that block patrons who can easily trip on them. Potholes, pavement cracks, outside hazards are also caused for trip and fall accidents. A trip and fall sometimes causes fractures in the hands or arms, abrasions to the head, or the face, or injuries to the elbows and the knees.
Wet or icy walks surfaces on sidewalks, parking lots, store fronts, and other areas where a person can “slip” on said slick surface. These dangerous areas must be cleaned up as soon as possible and, in the meantime, clearly delimited by, for example, a “wet floor” sign, to prevent people from falling. If you fell on area that did not indicate such warning, you may be due some money. Some of the common injures that result in the death or permanent injury from a slip and fall accident are head and brain injuries, neck and back injuries, or spinal cord damage, and broken bones. If you, or someone you know, has been permanently injured in a slip and fall, trip and fall, or other fall accident, then contact the slip and fall injury lawyers today for a free consultation.
Both slip and fall and trip and fall are liability cases. Unfortunately, both “slip and fall” accidents and “trip and fall” accidents are unfortunately common and hurt tens of thousands of people a year, sometimes leaving a person severely injured. But these terms are being misused by many people including some lawyers, mistakenly switching these terms. Although they sound similar semantically, they have a different legal meaning.
Would you be able to tell somebody that the difference between a slip and fall accident and a trip and fall accident? The answer is, “probably not.” However, the distinction is crucial and your claim may be impacted accordingly. All the information you need regarding the differences between the two and how it affects your case should be supplied to you by a quality slip and fall lawyer.