Falls can cause devastating injuries regardless of one’s age, but you are especially likely to face serious hardships if you find yourself in this position as an older adult. Whether you trip over clutter, slip on a wet surface or fall down for some other reason, you could suffer a wide range of debilitating injuries, such as brain trauma, broken bones and other setbacks that jeopardize your quality of life.
Sadly, many of the fall-related accidents that affect older adults occur as a result of a negligent property owner or a careless business owner.
Statistics on older adult falls
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes over older adult falls, and they published statistics that reveal how widespread these accidents are. In fact, falls involving older adults (people aged 65 and over) led to three million emergency department visits over the course of 2019. Furthermore, these falls result in $50 billion worth of medical costs per year.
In addition to devastating injuries, many older adults die as a result of falls. Tragically, 34,000 older adults lost their lives due to falls over the course of 2019.
Recovering from a fall
A fall could turn your life upside down in different ways. Not only could you face high levels of pain, medical bills, the inability to work and other challenges, but you could lose the ability to continue living independently. In the wake of a fall, it is vital to not only focus on your recovery but go over your legal options if the negligence of another party contributed to the accident.