People often scoff at the stories of personal injury lawsuits. They roll their eyes at the idea that someone who fell in a grocery store might need to sue because of the injuries they suffered. That dismissive attitude has little basis in reality.
Personal injury lawsuits, including premises liability lawsuits, are generally not an option unless people suffer significant losses. In some cases, they are an absolute necessity for people to get the financial compensation they deserve for an incident that has financial implications for them.
Slip-and-falls are among the many types of incidents that people may wrongly assume are minor. Why do slip-and-fall scenarios lead to personal injury lawsuits?
People suffer major injuries
Contrary to what many people assume, a slip-and-fall incident can lead to significant injuries. Someone who falls unexpectedly could break bones or suffer a brain injury. They might end up in the emergency room, which is exactly what happens to more than a million people every year in the United States.
Some of those injuries are severe enough to keep someone away from work, resulting in lost wages as well. Provided that a slip-and-fall occurs because of negligence on the part of a business or property owner, people have the option of filing a civil lawsuit. It sometimes becomes necessary to do so in order to obtain insurance coverage for someone’s losses.
The more financial losses someone has, the more worthwhile it may become for them to pursue a premises liability lawsuit after they fall and get hurt in a public space. Realizing that personal injury claims usually have a basis in significant financial hardship may help people overcome the shame they may feel about considering litigation.