While a slip on the sidewalk isn’t often thought of as a major accident, the fact is that falls can lead to devastating injuries that prevent you from working or engaging in everyday tasks. If your knee was hurt in a slip and fall accident, you may be able to recover damages by proving negligence caused the injury.
Common Knee Injuries After a Slip and Fall
Whether you slipped on an icy surface during the winter months or tripped on an improperly maintained floor in a grocery store, your knees are susceptible to damage in any fall. Bones like the kneecap may directly break and softer tissue, such as ligaments, cartilage, and tendons, can be torn, sprained, or inflamed after slipping. These are some of the most frequent knee injuries suffered from a slip or fall incident:
- Bone fractures
- Bursitis (inflammation of the bursae that cushion knee bones)
- Sprains
- Tendinitis
- Torn anterior cruciate ligament
- Torn meniscus (the cartilage that protects the bones connected to the knee)
Any of these wounds might cause extreme pain and difficulty with normal activities like sitting, standing, walking, running, or carrying things. You may end up dealing with long-term recovery involving expensive medical treatment, or even experience life-long disability in more serious cases.
What You Need to Do to Recover Damages
You have a legal right to seek compensation after hurting your knee by slipping and falling. Protecting that right means working with a premises liability attorney to show that your injury was specifically caused by the accident, and then proving that the at-fault party failed to exercise their basic duty of care. To prove those two elements of a slip and fall case, you need to:
- Remain at the scene to notify the property owner and gather eyewitness contact information if possible.
- Take photographs of the conditions causing the slip and fall.
- See a doctor immediately after the accident to document your injury.
- Gather evidence such as maintenance records or video camera footage.
With the assistance of a skilled attorney, this evidence is used to seek a settlement or take the at-fault party to court and recover damages for your various medical expenses and loss of wages.
Talk to a Professional About Your Slip and Fall Knee Injury
Were you hurt after a slip and fall and wondering if you have a case for recovering compensation? Set up a quick consultation with the Heslin Law Firm to discuss your accident and find out how we can help.
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