The population is aging in the United States, and one of the effects is that more people are being injured in slip-and-fall accidents and trip-and-fall accidents. When an injurious fall is caused by someone else’s negligence, the victim can file a personal injury claim and seek reimbursement for expenses related to the injury. If you’ve been injured because of another person’s negligence in the New York City area, speak at once with an experienced Bronx slip and fall attorney.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that slips and falls – particularly among the elderly – have overtaken motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injuries in the United States. Their data also suggests that enhancing efforts to prevent falls by the elderly could substantially reduce the number of spinal injuries.

In a recent study, Johns Hopkins researchers examined a representative sample of 43,137 adults treated in U.S. emergency rooms for spinal cord injuries between 2007 and 2009. Falls were the leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injuries over the three-year study period (41.5 percent), followed by motor vehicle crashes (35.5 percent). The average age of adults with a traumatic spinal cord injury in a previous study that covered the years 2000 to 2005 was 41; the new study suggests that age is now 51. Even when taking into account injury severity and other illnesses experienced by the patients, older adults with traumatic spinal cord injury are four times more likely to die in the emergency room from such an injury compared to younger adults. If they survive and are admitted, they are six times more likely to die during their in-patient stay.

If you own a property that’s open to the public – a restaurant, supermarket, or even just a parking lot – please take adequate precautions to avoid slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall injuries on your property. Make sure that pavements and sidewalks are as smooth as possible, that rugs and carpets are flat against the floor, and that spills and accumulated water, snow, and ice are cleaned up immediately. If you’re injured in a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall incident on someone else’s property in New York City, get the legal help you need and speak at once with an experienced Bronx personal injury attorney.