Wet and slippery floors are a leading cause of slip and fall accidents.
And many of these slip and fall accidents result in personal injuries or death.
There are countless ways a floor in a store, office building, home, or other location can become wet and slippery.
It's the responsibility of the property owner to eliminate or mitigate the hazard and ensure the safety of visitors.
In the article below, we will look into slip and fall injuries caused by wet floors.
Table Of Contents
- Common Causes of Wet Or Slippery Floors
- Injuries Caused By Wet Floors
- Can You Sue for Slip and Fall if There Was a Wet Floor Sign?
- How Close Does a Wet Floor Sign Have To Be?
- Wet Floor Slip and Fall Statistics
- Property Owner Should Provide Proper Warning of the Wet Floor
- Do I Need A Slip and Fall Attorney?
Common Causes of Wet or Slippery Floors
There are a variety of substances tracked in, spilled on, or applied to floors that can make them slippery.
Some of these substances are:
- Water
- Rainwater
- Ice and snow
- Sand
- Mud
- Food (liquids and semi-solids)
- Detergents and polishes
- Oil or grease
- Bodily fluids like blood, urine, or sweat
- Trash and waste material
Wet and slippery floors can occur in any building. You may encounter a wet or slippery floor in:
- Retail stores like grocery stores or malls
- Office buildings
- Restaurants
- Theaters
- Schools
- Daycare centers
- Auto repair shops
- Medical care centers like hospitals, urgent care clinics, or doctors' offices
Private homeowners may also be held liable if a wet and slippery floor causes a guest to fall, resulting in an injury as long as the visitor has been invited into the home.
Homeowner's insurance typically pays slip-and-fall accident claims if this happens to you.
If a property owner can clean up a wet and slippery floor hazard, it needs to be cleaned as soon as possible.
If the floor is still wet and slippery after being cleaned, a "wet floor" sign or other adequate warnings should be displayed.
A property owner that neglects proper safety measures can be held liable through a premises liability claim if a slip-and-fall accident occurs.
Injuries Caused by Wet Floors
Accident victims that slip on wet floors can suffer from various injuries depending on the nature of the fall.
Depending on the various contributing factors, some of the injuries people may suffer include:
- Spinal cord injury
- Back injury
- Neck injury
- Head injury
- Knee injury
- Ankle injury
- Wrist injury
- Elbow injury
- Shoulder injury
- Broken bone
- Nerve damage
- Organ damage
- Broken bones
- Muscle sprains or strains
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Paralysis
Some slip and fall accidents may cause fatal injuries.
If you have a loved one who was killed in a slip and fall accident, you may be entitled to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent party to pursue compensation for financial damages.
Can You Sue for Slip and Fall if There Was a Wet Floor Sign?
Commercial establishments and private residents are responsible for keeping their property safe from defects and dangerous conditions that could cause injuries.
This duty of care means they have to do everything reasonably possible to create a hazard-free environment.
That duty of care includes displaying wet floor signs.
Failing to place warning signs around wet and slippery areas violates the duty of care and is considered negligence.
A business may be found negligent if:
- Management was aware of the slippery floor or should have been aware of it
- The manager should know the wet floor could cause customers to fall
- Management neglected to warn customers or dry the floor
- The negligence of the business directly caused a dangerous condition that resulted in your slip and fall injuries
- Your injuries are verifiable
- You didn't contribute to the circumstances that caused you to fall
There is an exception to the duty of care rule.
Employees or management need a reasonable amount of time to discover the wet floor and do something about it to be found negligent.
If there wasn't enough time to see the wet floor and place a caution sign or clean it up, they may not be considered negligent.
You have to prove negligence to be compensated for your injuries.
When neglect from a business owner or employee results in a visitor's injuries, the visitor has a right to compensation for their damages.
Damages for slip and fall accidents include:
- Medical treatment
- Future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket expenses for things like medications, assistive devices, etc.
- Lost wages
- Future lost earnings
- Pain and suffering
It's in your best interest to work with a personal injury attorney that can help you receive fair compensation.
How Close Does a Wet Floor Sign Have To Be?
A wet floor sign isn't a courtesy. It's the law.
Under premise liability law, business owners are responsible for warning or preventing any foreseeable hazards that could endanger the safety of their guests.
Many people don't realize that wet floors are considered on-par with broken handrails and exposed wires regarding business owner liability.
Wet floors signs should be placed on wet or slippery floors at least 10-15 feet from the wet floor areas.
Wet Floor Slip and Fall Statistics
According to the National Floor Safety Institute, one in every three people over 65 will experience a fall every year in the United States.
Half of these victims will fall again.
Falls are the second-leading cause of injury-related death for people between 65 and 84.
They're the leading cause of injury-related death for individuals 85 or older.
60% of deaths associated with falls involved people 75 years of age or older.
Falls account for 87% of all fractures among people over 65 and are the second-leading cause of spinal cord and brain injury.
Falls are also the sixth-leading cause of death among people 70 or older and 40% of all nursing home admissions.
Property Owner Should Provide Proper Warning of the Wet Floor
Wet floor signs don't always protect property owners from claims resulting from a slip and fall.
A wet floor sign is proof that the property owner was attempting to take reasonable care to avoid injury.
Simply posting a wet floor sign doesn't invalidate that the hazard is there.
The wet floor sign also can't be used as a substitute for promptly repairing a hazard.
You may also be entitled to compensation if your injuries were caused by a secondary danger, like:
- Obstacles in your pathway forced you to walk on the wet surface
- A building with poor lighting
- Cracked floor tiles near the water
Do I Need a Slip and Fall Attorney?
Anyone involved in a slip and floor accident should speak with an attorney as soon as possible.
Key pieces of evidence will be lost or destroyed over time, and eyewitnesses will forget essential case details.
Attorneys can take depositions of store employees to establish that the area where the accident occurred was hazardous and not regularly cleaned or maintained.
The clock starts running when you are injured and runs until the statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit runs out.
That's why you need to reach out to a law firm experienced in slip and fall claims as soon as possible.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident on someone else's property due to their negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Let the team of experienced slip and fall attorneys with Helping The Hurt help with your injury claim.
References:
https://nfsi.org/nfsi-research/quick-facts/
https://www.stewartlawoffices.net/slip-and-fall-lawyer/wet-slippery-floors
https://www.joyelawfirm.com/premises-liability-attorney/types-of-slip-and-fall-accidents/falls-on-wet-and-slippery-floors/
https://www.injuryclaimcoach.com/wet-floor-sign.html
https://hisnv.com/wet-floor-sign/
https://www.aspelllaw.com/slip-and-fall-injuries-caused-by-wet-or-slippery-floors
