Personal Injury Law

Chicago slip-and-fall accidents, premise liability issues result from wet and icy conditions

By Kris Briggs

The Chicago Department of Transportation is reminding business, property and homeowners of their responsibility to remove show from their sidewalks.

Our Chicago personal injury lawyers know an increased risk of slip and fall hazards comes with the snow, ice, dangerous sidewalks, wet slippery floors and standing water that frequently accompany winter storms.

Our older residents are among the most vulnerable to serious or fatal injuries resulting from a slip and fall accident in Chicago.

Chicago law (Municipal Code 4-4-310 and 10-8-180) require property owners to remove snow and ice from the sidewalks in front of their properties. ?Many people rely on walking and transit as their primary way to get around, and without a wide, clear path through snow and ice, it is especially difficult for people with disabilities, seniors and children to walk safely,? said CDOT Commissioner Bobby L. Ware.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one-third of adults over the age of 65 will suffer a fall each year. Falls are the most common non-fatal hospital admissions for trauma.

Each year, about 18,000 older adults will die from fall injuries -- a number that has risen sharply over the last decade. Each year, more than 2 million older adults are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries sustained in a fall and nearly 600,000 of those will be hospitalized.

The most common injuries sustained in a fall are cuts, hip fractures and head trauma. Those following the recovery of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of a gunshot wound, may be interested to know that falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in the United States.

Common fractures are most often caused by falls in our older adult population, including fractures to the spine, hip, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm and hand.

Additionally, a serious fall injury can have a damaging psychological impact on older adults. Many develop a fear of falling, which impacts quality of life, reduces mobility, and can actually increase the risk of a subsequent fall injury.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Law Blog on February 03, 2011 (boomark / email).