Tips to Prevent Injury in a Fall

Monday, October 17, 2022 by The Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman

Slip and fall accidents can happen almost anywhere. Depending on various factors, they could potentially result in such serious injuries as broken bones, traumatic brain injury, etc.

Hopefully, you’ll never be involved in such an accident. However, if you do ever find yourself losing your balance or tripping over an unseen obstruction, knowing what to do (and what not to do) in that moment can minimize your chances of being seriously harmed.

If you begin to fall, protect yourself by remembering to:

Keep Your Head Safe

You may sustain a brain injury if your head strikes the ground in a fall. Guard against this by turning your head to the side if you’re falling forward. If you’re falling back, tuck your head toward your chest.

Don’t Try to Catch Yourself

If there is a handrail or other such fixture in the immediate vicinity and you are thoroughly confident you can grab onto it to break your fall, doing so may be the right idea.

Generally, though, while many people feel the impulse to thrust their arms in front of them when falling, this natural reaction can actually cause you to sustain a hand or wrist injury.

Instead, experts recommend that you bend your legs and arms as you fall. If you don’t, your body will be more likely to get rigid, increasing your chances of being injured.

Try to Roll

This won’t always be an option depending on the environment in which you fall and how you land. That said, if you can, upon landing, try to roll in the direction of your fall (without contorting your body into unsafe and uncomfortable positions). This allows you to carry some of the energy of the fall into the roll.

Avoid Landing on Bone

You may be able to move your body during your fall so that you land on meaty and muscly areas instead of bone. Do so if you can. Naturally, your chances of breaking a bone will be significantly reduced if you don’t land on one.

There are also various steps you can take to minimize your chances of falling to begin with. They include:

• Wearing footwear with a proper grip
• Paying attention to your surroundings to spot tripping or slipping hazards
• Exercising to maintain strength and flexibility
• Avoiding crowded areas when possible
• Speaking with your doctor about any conditions you have or medications you’re taking that may cause balance problems

Again, ideally, the information here will never be of much use to you because you’ll never be involved in a slip and fall to begin with. Unfortunately, often, these types of accidents occur because negligent property owners fail to address hazardous conditions.

Have you been harmed in such an accident because a property owner was careless? If so, review your case with a Ventura, California slip and fall accident attorney at the Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman. We may be able to help you secure compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, etc. Learn more by contacting us online or calling us at 805-983-2344.
Have you been harmed in such an accident because a property owner was careless? If so, review your case with a Ventura, California slip and fall accident attorney at the Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman. We may be able to help you secure compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, etc. Learn more by contacting us online or calling us at 805-983-2344.