If you fell down the stairs recently, you may have suffered significant injuries. Every day, thousands of people in the United States fall down the stairs. Falling down the stairs can happen in several different situations. Stairs can quickly become treacherous, especially for young children and elderly adults. When businesses do not adequately maintain their stairs, they place all of their customers at risk.
Westchester Stair Accident Injury Lawyer
At Michael LoGiudice, LLP, our Westchester personal injury lawyers offer skilled legal representation. If you fell down the stairs and suffered an injury, you may be entitled to compensation. After someone becomes injured or killed after falling down the stairs, business owners or landlords often fix the dangerous situation.
Our stair accident injury attorneys know how to investigate to discover any dangerous conditions that caused the fall down the staircase. We will thoroughly investigate the accident that resulted in the injuries of our clients. We fight hard for the needs of our clients throughout the entire legal process. Contact us as soon as possible to discuss your legal rights to hold the responsible parties accountable.
Fell Down the Stairs? You’re Not Alone
Falling down the stairs is more common than many people think. Nearly half of the family homes in the United States contain stairs. A recent study from the American Journal of Emergency Medicine found that falling down the stairs is a common source of injury among people of all ages. Every year, the direct and indirect cost of injuries caused by falling down the stairs is about $92 billion. Stairway accidents can happen in any of the following locations:
- Parking garages
- Restaurants
- Malls
- Apartment buildings
- Auditorium
- Theaters
- Hotels
- Office buildings
- Condominiums
- Someone else’s home
Over 23 years, nearly 3,000 Americans suffered injuries from falling down the stairs a day. Once every 30 seconds, an American becomes injured from falling down the stairs and needs to seek emergency medical treatment. The people most susceptible to injury from falling down the stairs are elderly adults over age 85 and children under three years old. Young adults in their 20s also had a higher injury rate from falling down the stairs.
Common Injuries Caused by Failing Down the Stairs
Most individuals who were involved in a stair accident receive treatment in the emergency room and are released quickly. However, some of the victims of stair falls are admitted to the hospital to receive further treatment. Children under the age of 10 suffered more head injuries than other victims of falling down the stairs. Older patients are more at risk for bone fractures, which often need more extended hospitalization. The following injuries are common among those who have fallen down the stairs:
- Bone fractures
- Concussions
- Sprains
- Strains
- Scrapes
- Bruises
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck injuries
- Brain injuries
- Death
Unsafe Staircases Can Cause Falls on the Staircase
If you fell on a staircase, several different factors may have caused your fall. Falls on stairways can be caused by sliding, slipping, tripping, or misstepping. Some individuals who have fallen on the staircase fell because they were carrying objects that blocked their view. Additionally, the safety and design of the stairs can cause dangerous staircase falls. The following dangerous conditions can cause staircase falls:
- Staircase steps that are too high with a dangerous rise
- Slippery staircase treads made of stone, tile, marble, wood, or bricks
- Unsafe tread depths and riser height
- Broken, faulty, or missing staircase handrails
- Inadequate lighting in a staircase
- A lack of warning signs or inadequate warnings
Specifically, missing nosing on a staircase causes common tripping hazards. The nosing is the part of the staircase tread that hangs over the top step of the staircase. Additionally, some staircase designs throw people off when they read the last step. Poorly designed staircases can cause someone walking down the stairs to see a bottom-of-stair illusion. This illusion can make people trip on the last step in the staircase.
Business Owners Have a Duty to Make Their Premises Safe
Many business owners and individuals have begun redesigning their staircases to make them safer. Taking the time to remodel staircases can help prevent tripping, slipping, tripping, and misstepping on a staircase. Remodeling staircases or building wholly new and safer staircases can help prevent falls down staircases. Business owners should make sure that all vertical and horizontal surfaces on their staircases are safe to prevent missteps.
Bringing a Lawsuit for Dangerous Staircases in New York
Every year, people experience falls on staircases in New York. Stairway injuries can happen in a variety of locations. Dangerous staircases are located inside and outside, they can be covered with carpet or bare, and they can be a few steps high or several stories high. Injuries from staircase fall range from temporary injuries to permanent damage. In severe cases, people can even experience death from staircase falls.
Stairway injury lawsuits in New York fall into a category of personal injury law called “premises liability.” Property owners must take reasonable steps to maintain their premises to keep them safe for visitors and occupants. A plaintiff needs to prove that the owner of the property knew or should have known about a defective or dangerous condition on the staircase—an example of a dangerous condition that could include no guardrails, broken stairs, or inadequate lighting.
The plaintiff will also need to prove that the owner of the premises did not take steps to rectify the dangerous or defective condition. Finally, they will need to prove that their lack of action led directly to an injury and that they suffered harm as a result.
Contact Our Westcheter Slip & Fall Attorney Today
If you have been in a stair accident, you might be entitled to damages for your injuries. A successful plaintiff can recover damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact slip and fall attorney, Michael LoGiudice, LLP as soon as possible to schedule your initial consultation and learn how our law firm can help you fight for your rights.