We’re all used to subtly watching where we walk. It’s ingrained in us to watch our step to avoid tripping, slipping, and falling. But there are hazards you can’t see and avoid. When you encounter defective flooring and stairs, you could suffer a serious fall. No matter how careful you were, you could find yourself dealing with significant injuries, like a concussion, broken bones, or a spinal cord injury.
When you sustain injuries from floors or stairways, we recommend calling Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C., for help. Our team of highly experienced premises liability lawyers will thoroughly investigate the circumstances and fight for you to win fair compensation. Call us today at (312) 236-2900 or use our online form to schedule a free, no-risk consultation.
Common Injuries Caused by Defective Floors and Stairs in Chicago
Broken Bones
If you fall because of defective flooring or stairs, you can break one or more bones. It’s common for a fall victim to fracture a wrist, arm, or hip. If you suffer a clean, simple break, it will heal in time. But, for more complex fractures, you might need surgery, pins or screws, plates, and physical rehabilitation.
Soft Tissue Injuries
You might strain or sprain a ligament, muscle, or tendon. A minor soft tissue injury usually heals in time with rest. But soft tissue injuries also can be significant and require surgery and physical therapy. Some of these injuries can lead to long-term pain and discomfort and, ultimately, impact your physical abilities.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
If you fall because of a dangerous floor or stairway, you could hit your head. A blow to the head can cause a concussion or a moderate-to-severe TBI. Most people fully recover from concussions. But a percentage of concussion victims deal with long-term consequences like headaches, fatigue, and sensory sensitivities. More severe TBIs are likely to cause permanent side effects. You could experience language, speech, sensory, personality, mental health, and physical issues. The most severe TBIs can cause a coma, vegetative state, or death.
Back Injuries
Falling down a stairway can cause numerous serious injuries. You could suffer soft tissue injuries, herniated discs, and fractured vertebrae in a fall. Hurting your back has long-term repercussions. Treatment and recovery are painful. You might experience lifelong pain and discomfort even after healing to the fullest extent possible. These back injuries could impact your ability to work, keep up with your hobbies, and live a full life.
Spinal Cord Injuries
One of the most catastrophic injuries you can sustain after a fall is a spinal cord injury. With either a complete or incomplete SCI, you’ll lose movement and sensation below the injury site. SCIs also lead to loss of bladder and bowel control, a higher risk of infection, blood pressure and circulation difficulties, respiratory difficulties, sexual dysfunction, and more. Despite the lack of sensation, this injury and its aftermath can be very painful.
Where Defective Floor and Stair Accidents Happen
The truth is that these types of accidents happen everywhere, on public and private property, and residential and commercial property.
Common places for floor and stairway accidents are:
- Person’s house
- Apartment complex
- Retail store
- Grocery store
- Restaurant or bar
- Corporate office
- Park or other outdoor space
Common Causes of Floor and Stair Injuries
Flooring and stairs can be defective and dangerous from the start. It could be that the builder doesn’t install the flooring or stairway properly. The floor might be uneven, with slopes, dips, and rises that are difficult to see. The stairs might have uneven treads and risers, making them difficult to climb without tripping. Stairs can also be too narrow and steep.
But many floors and stairways become defective over time. The property owner might not ever inspect the floors or stairs for problems. Or, when the property notices an issue, they might not repair it in a reasonable amount of time.
In some cases, property owners let flooring and stairways go years without paying them any attention. This is dangerous in high-traffic areas and when the flooring or stairs are exposed to the elements. These circumstances accelerate wear and tear. Within a matter of months, the flooring or stairs could become a danger to visitors.
Who’s Liable for Your Defective Floor or Stair Injuries?
We recommend you talk with an experienced premises liability attorney after being hurt because of dangerous flooring or stairs. For you to recover compensation, it’s important to figure out who is responsible for that property. We’ll look into who owns, leases, and manages the property. We’ll find out who is responsible for the maintenance and condition of the area where you got hurt.
If you were hurt in a person’s home, that homeowner is most likely liable for your injuries. If you were hurt in an apartment or rented house, whether the tenant or landlord is liable depends on the circumstances. They could share in the responsibility in some cases.
When you’re hurt in a business, the business is probably liable. But the business could be a tenant of the property. This is another case in which the tenant and landlord might both bear responsibility for the defective floor or stairway.
Another possibility is that a government entity is liable. If you were injured on public property, a municipality or the State of Illinois might own that area. Claims against the government are handled differently than premises liability cases against a private person or business. Make sure you work with an experienced attorney to file your case in the right place and name the right government agency in your lawsuit.
Talk with a Chicago Premises Liability Attorney
Trying to recover compensation after falling because of defective flooring or stairs can be hard. The property owner doesn’t want to take the blame. They’ll want to say you weren’t careful enough or that there was no way they could’ve known about the problem.
The best way to hold a negligent property owner responsible is to work with a lawyer. Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C., won’t let them point the finger back at you. We’ll fight hard for you to receive full and fair compensation for your injuries. Call us at (312) 236-2900 or use the online form to schedule your free consultation
