A study conducted by researchers at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio used data compiled by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to analyze the number of people injured by falling on stairs. The information was gathered patients’ records who were treated in emergency rooms nationwide over a 23-year period.
The study determined that on average, 1,076,558 people are seen each year in an emergency room because of falling while going up or down stairs.
Here are some additional statistics:
- 62% of those injured were female
- 42% of injuries involved the lower extremities
- 6% of injuries involved the head and neck
- Patients under 10-years old had more head and neck injuries
- The majority of injured patients, (67.2%), were between the ages of 11 and 60
The extensive study also found that the most common types of injuries from falling on stairs were sprains and strains, soft tissue injuries and fractures.
The researchers determined that steps that have a small protrusion or lip at the top of each stair were particularly difficult to navigate. Another problem are staircases that do not have an obvious defining edge, so that when a person is coming down the stairs they can’t visually discern between the bottom step and the floor.
Common Causes of a Staircase Fall Injury
There are different scenarios in which someone might suffer a serious injury caused by falling on a staircase:
- Defective or broken stair surfaces
- Loose, sliding stair carpeting or carpet runner
- Defective or non-existing handrails
- Improper design or construction, where the step or the riser is not the correct width or height*
- Inadequate lighting
Of course, there are plenty of cases where a person falls on a staircase that are just plain human error. These can include someone trying to up or down stairs when carrying a large object, like a laundry basket full of clothes, and cannot see where they’re stepping. Other cases are caused when there is an object on the stairs and a person trips over it. In today’s world, it would not be surprising to find that someone tripped and fell on a staircase because they were looking down at their cell phone.
As personal injury attorneys in Fort Myers and Cape Coral, we are not suggesting that every staircase fall injury is something that requires the help of a lawyer. But there are many cases where a person may be injured falling down loose or slippery stairs in a public building or sports complex, or stairs in an apartment complex where there is no lighting.
In those cases, the injured victim may in fact have a legal course of action to get financially compensated for the treatment – both immediate and future – along with lost wages, pain and suffering and other factors.
If you ever have any questions regarding any legal topic, you can always get free answers from the attorneys at Goldberg Noone Abraham. We’ve been fighting for justice for accident victims in Southwest Florida for over 20 years, and it never costs a thing to get the initial answers you’ll need after suffering a fall injury. Call our main office at 239-461-5508, or just complete this simple form and we’ll contact you immediately.
*According to Bob Vila of This Old House: Divide the height by 7 inches; if, say, the floor-to-floor distance is 8 feet, 10 inches (or 106 inches), then you’ll need 15 treads (106 divided by 7 equals 15.14). Next, you divide the height by the number of treads (15 into 106), producing the exact tread height (7.06 inches).
