Recovering Compensation After an Elder Falls

 Posted on June 06, 2024 in Personal Injury

While slipping or tripping and falling can injure a person of any age, falls are particularly serious in older adults. A person’s bones become more fragile as he or she ages, making seniors far more prone to serious injuries after even a minor fall. Elders are also less able to heal after a broken bone, concussion, or other injury. While a younger adult is likely to have no lingering effects from a broken bone after the cast comes off six weeks later, an elderly person may still experience pain, stiffness, and difficulty moving or using the affected body part for a long time. If you were injured by falling while in a business or on another party’s premises, a Glenview, IL personal injury attorney may be able to help you recover compensation.

Common Preventable Causes of Falls in the Elderly

When business owners and others invite the public onto their premises, they have a duty to use reasonable care to ensure that the premises are safe for those who enter, including their elderly patrons. Common ways business owners or managers neglect that duty and allow elderly visitors to fall and be injured include:

• Not cleaning up spills in a timely manner - Spills in grocery stores and restaurants are quite common but must be cleaned up promptly as soon as staff becomes aware of them or within a timeframe where staff should have become aware of the spill.
• Poorly marked or lit steps - Stairs and steps should be well-lit and visually apparent. Elderly adults may not notice a step if it is not well-marked or fall on poorly lit stairs. 
• Missing wet floor signs - Wet floor signs should be placed where employees have recently mopped or when water may be accumulating on the floor for other reasons. 
• Loose power cords - Power cords should be securely fastened to the floor to reduce the risk of someone tripping or else attached to a wall or higher surface where people cannot trip over them. 
• Other tripping hazards - Small items that older adults can easily trip over should be placed away from walkways when not in active use. Common tripping hazards in businesses include footstools, small boxes, loose merchandise that is being shelved, and cleaning supplies.

Because falls can be so serious in the elderly, businesses should take precautions to limit fall hazards.

Contact a Cook County, IL Attorney for Injuries to the Elderly

Gruzmark Law, Ltd. is committed to helping elderly people who have been injured in a preventable fall recover compensation. Our experienced Glenview, IL premises liability lawyers speak Russian and Mongolian. Contact us at 847-729-7660 for a complimentary consultation.