There are over three million people treated for falls in emergency rooms every year. Many of these falls occur in a public place such as shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, retail stores, movie theaters, and apartment or office building complexes, all of which have a legal duty to make their premises reasonably safe from foreseeable harm. Preventable trip and fall accidents can also occur on public sidewalks or pathways or on someone else’s private property due to the negligence of another.

Trip and fall accidents in public settings are typically painful and embarrassing, and they can also cause serious injuries. Trip and fall accidents affect thousands of people of all ages every year, and injuries suffered in a trip and fall could be very severe, especially as we get older. Trips and falls accidents can result in broken bones, facial injuries and lacerations, spinal injuries, torn muscles, tendons and ligaments, and even traumatic brain injuries or death. The elderly are especially vulnerable to suffering severe injuries or death in a fall, as falls are a leading cause of death among older people.