July 2, 2020
For many people, the worst-case scenario in a slip-and-fall incident would involve them suffering a head injury. If you fall quickly or with a lot of force and strike your head on the floor or nearby fixtures, you can suffer a traumatic brain injury that could completely alter the course of your life.
Compared with that, suffering a broken arm by trying to stop your fall may seem like a relatively minor injury. However, while a broken arm may not be as life-altering as a head injury, they can still come with significant costs and impact for the victim.
A broken arm could mean weeks away from work
Depending on the work someone does, a broken arm might prevent them from being able to do their job at all. Lost wages can quickly add up, especially when there are also medical expenses to consider.
Someone who works in a small manufacturing facility, for example, may not be able to fulfill their functions. The company may not be able to accommodate them because they don’t have any clerical jobs or positions that don’t require manual labor.
Fixing a broken arm will cost thousands
Even the simplest bone fracture in the arm could potentially cost $2,523 on average to treat if the injury doesn’t require surgery. However, depending on how someone falls and what causes the break in their arm, they could have a much more serious injury, such as a compound fracture where the bone breaks through the skin or a spiral fracture where the bone breaks into multiple pieces.
The worse the fracture, the greater the medical expenses and the longer the recovery will take. Those who have suffered a broken bone or other significant injuries after a slip and fall in a business may have the grounds to bring a premises liability claim against the business owner or property manager to offset their losses.