Slipping and falling on wet floors happens more than you think

When you think of the No. 1 reason for injuries, you probably go straight to car accidents, and you’re right. More people are hurt in auto accidents in New York than anything else. However, do you know what the second leading cause is? Would you be surprised to hear that it is slip and fall accidents?

Most people have seen signs warning that floors are wet and slippery, but they don’t realize how large of an issue it is. If not for cars, slip and fall accidents would injure more people in America than anything else.

How many accidents are there? Looking all across the country, there are an average of 540,000 such accidents each year. This only counts the accidents where the person winds up in the hospital. There are doubtless many more small accidents that don’t require hospitalization, though they can still cause minor injuries.

Sometimes, though, the injuries are very serious. Every year, 460 people slip on wet floors in the U.S. and pass away from their injuries. People who are unable to catch themselves — like an employee carrying something across a store — often strike their heads on the hard tile floors. This can lead to skull fractures, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, bleeding on the brain and much more.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a fall is a slightly humorous way to suffer only minor injuries. It can be very serious, and wet floor signs always have to be respected. If you’ve been injured in an accident that was not your fault — perhaps because no sign was put up — you might want to seek compensation.

Source: The Green in Hygiene, “Slippery When Wet: The Hazards of Wet Floors,” accessed Aug. 07, 2015