NYC Slip & Fall Cases: Common Injuries

A slip and fall accident may be a terrifying experience, but it’s critical that you know the options available to you. At Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. PC, Personal Injury Lawyers, we have recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for injured accident victims, including those who have slipped on wet floors, black ice and even tripped over uneven sidewalk slabs and missing concrete sidewalk slabs. Missing concrete slabs? Really? Yes, it’s true…

Slip-and-falls are one of the most common causes for personal injury cases in New York City and can be caused by many factors such as defective sidewalks, puddles of water or ice on the ground, uneven pavement, or piles of snow that melt, sometimes known as thawing and then refreezing, causing runoff from shoveled snow to melt, run-off and then refreeze at night when temperatures drop back down.

The Law Firm of Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. PC was recently retained (February, 2023) to represent a slip-and-fall victim in Jersey City, NJ who required knee surgery after falling on stairs in front of a building in JC where ice had accumulated. The property owner, management company and Home Owner’s Association, and all of whom will have insurance (also, all different in this situation, although they are sometimes all really the same 😊) will be named as Defendants in a Hudson County Superior Court Action.

Common Injuries Caused by Falling

There are almost nine million emergency room visits per year in the United States that are necessitated due to slip-and-fall accidents, though most would assume these types of accidents only result in minor injuries. However, when the human body falls unexpectedly on a hard surface, there is significant potential for serious injury to occur due to how the person falls. Torn ligaments, fractures requiring surgery and missed time from work are not at all uncommon in these types of accidents.

Common issues that arise with slip and falls or trip-and-falls are:

Abrasions and Bruising

As mentioned, not all slip and falls are life-threatening. Sometimes injuries only include bruising, scrapes, or cuts with a wide range of severity; the worst being disability. This doesn’t mean they aren’t painful, they just won’t cause lasting permanent trauma or disability.

Fractured Bones, Muscle Tears

Another common injury caused by trip and falls are injuries to the muscles, ligaments, and bones. Fractures can occur to the hand, forearm, upper arm, spine, hip, pelvis, and ankle. Whatever the first point of contact is when you hit the ground will most likely be the site of of injury.

Shoulder Dislocation

Another injury commonly associated with slip and falls are localized to a person’s shoulder. Typically, victims of trip and fall cases fall on their shoulder to avoid trauma to the head but end up dislocating their shoulder, straining muscles, or tearing ligaments. A shoulder scope, or shoulder arthroscopy may be medically indicated.

Knee Injuries

Types of Knee Injuries

Slip and fall accidents can result in fractures to the lower leg bone in the knee joint or the kneecap, as well as trauma to the soft tissues such as:

• ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears
• PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) tears
• MCL (medial cruciate ligament) tears
• Quadriceps tendon tears
• Torn meniscus (tear of the knee cartilage)
• Fractured patella (knee cap)

You can also suffer cumulative trauma injuries to the knees. Repetitive stress/cumulative trauma injuries can be caused by lifting or carrying heavy items and walking on uneven surfaces. A cumulative trauma injury can cause pain, burning, tingling, numbness or reduced range of motion that may prevent you from working or doing daily activities.

If you have been injured due to a slip and fall or trip and fall in NYC, contact Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. PC at 212-240-9465 for a free, no obligation, in-office consultation in Downtown, NYC and get the Wheels of Justice Spinning for You today.