Trip and Falls vs Slip and Fall Accidents

What’s the Difference and Why it Matters in Accident Injury Law

Contrary to popular belief, there is a difference between tripping and falling and slipping and falling in the eyes of the legal system. If you have been injured in this manner in the Boca Raton or Delray Beach area, you need a slip and fall lawyer that knows the difference.

Both happen far too often here in Palm Beach County. A person slips and falls on a damp floor at a restaurant on Atlantic Ave. or trips in a parking lot at a Publix. When someone trips over anything, it’s called a trip and fall case. Because there are things on shelves, in aisles, and on fixtures in the middle of the floor, this type of fall is typical at stores and on sidewalks, where there are sometimes cracks and surfaces that are not level.

What is the Legal Distinction?

Both types of cases are examples of premises liability claims. This is a type of personal injury claim where the property owner, landowner, or property manager is responsible for the accident and the plaintiff’s injuries.

To “trip” implies falling forward as a result of walking on anything unbalanced which causes one to lose their footing, falling because of an object that impedes your step or catching a foot on an object without stepping over something hard/fixed.

Folks usually land on their chests, knees, faces, and wrists when they trip forward. Compared to slips, these mishaps result in bruising and fractured bones on the hands, knees, and face.

The victim of a “slip and fall” accident typically falls backward or sideways as a result of slipping on wet or slick terrain and loss due to an unbalanced element or moving ground material.

Victims of slipping fall flat on their backs, breaking their tailbones, and hitting the backs of their heads. Again, this results in various injuries that may necessitate different types of compensation, such as bruising and broken bones throughout the spine, hips, and back.

Restaurants and Stores in Boca Raton and Delray Beach with High Accident Rates

In Boca Raton and Delray Beach, a well-known sandwich sub shop chain has experienced multiple slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall mishaps. These terrible things are unavoidable in life.

Meanwhile, in another recent incident, a lady attempted to parallel park and accelerated into a Palm Beach County resident’s outdoor seating area, killing one person and injuring six others. The list goes on.

What Should You Do Next?

From injured knees and broken limbs to bruised or broken tailbones to open and closed head wounds or even brain injury, injuries caused by these types of accidents are not only painful, but they can be very costly to treat and can cause permanent disability and loss of income. If you or a loved one has suffered needlessly from a slip or trip and fall accident, a personal injury attorney with experience in these types of cases is best suited to handle your injury lawsuit.