The average slip-and-fall may bruise someone’s ego and possibly their bottom, and so people tend to assume they are all minor accidents. Especially when there are witnesses and the fall occurs in a public location, the person who fell may feel so embarrassed that they make unintentionally short-sighted choices about what to do next. Occasionally, someone who falls at a business or private property because of poor maintenance has grounds upon which to file a premises liability claim if they end up with significant injuries. They may not know about their injuries when they first fall. However, to pursue a premises liability insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, the person who falls will typically need to have reported the matter to the business or property owner and will also need medical records validating their claim of injury. The possibility of sustaining either of the injuries below – without initially noticing – makes reporting a slip-and-fall before leaving a building or store the smartest choice, in many cases, even when one is embarrassed about the situation in question.

A traumatic brain injury

When someone falls, they might hit their head on the floor or on fixtures or furniture nearby. Blunt-force trauma to the head can cause bleeding or swelling inside the skull, which will eventually produce concerning symptoms in some cases. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can get worse over time and may not have any symptoms right at the time that someone falls, which is one reason why reporting a fall if someone hits their head or passes out is so important.

A stable fracture

When someone tries to catch themselves as they fall or flails their limbs on the way to the ground, they could potentially break a bone. Many fractures are immediately painful and grotesque-looking, making them easy to identify. People don’t realize that fractures can also be stable, meaning the bone remains properly aligned and may therefore cause very little pain. Someone may not realize they have a stable fracture until extreme exertion or some kind of secondary trauma moves the bone later. The more violent the fall was and the older the person who has fallen, the greater the possibility of broken bones or other severe injuries occurring. Understanding that people can incur life-altering injuries as a result of a slip-and-fall incident may inspire those who feel embarrassed after a same-level fall to speak up and seek medical attention and legal guidance afterward.