Slippery surfaces, such as recently-mopped floors, can cause us to easily end up on our bottoms. While our pride and posteriors may be bruised, these kinds of slips and falls do not usually cause lasting pain or suffering for healthy individuals. Older adults always run the risk of broken bones due to their age and the likelihood of having osteoporosis. 

There are other kinds of falls that cause the kinds of injuries that temporarily or permanently disable someone. Slipping at the top of a flight of stairs and tumbling all the way to the bottom can lead to multiple injuries or even death. Inadequate outdoor lighting could cause an individual to fall into a pothole, trench, or ditch. Damaged sidewalks are always a risk, especially in wet weather. 

Some pretty serious injuries can occur. 

• Soft tissue injuries include things like sprained ankles and wrists to torn ligaments. Some people do not even realize they have a soft tissue injury until days after a fall. It is important to receive treatment for these kinds of injuries, as they can cause chronic pain if they fail to heal properly. 
• Broken bones are a common injury sustained in slip and fall accidents. Wrists, ankles, and hips are most vulnerable to breakages during a fall. The older the person is, the more likely they are to break a bone during a fall. Age and fragility have nothing to do with legal standing when it comes to filing a slip and fall claim. 
• Hip fractures are prevalent in slip and fall accidents. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites 95 percent of broken hips in the U.S. are from falls. Surgical intervention and hospitalization are required to repair hip fractures, which can lead to exhaustive medical bills for some victims. Those expenses can be recouped through a slip and fall claim. 
• Shoulder and neck injuries also are common in slip and fall accidents. They can occur when the victim lands on their neck or shoulder after falling, or from the overexertion of trying to “catch” yourself from falling. Some require surgery, while others can lead to chronic pain and suffering. 
• Knee injuries happen if a victim twists their leg while tripping or falling. They also can happen if a person lands directly on their knee hard after a fall. Sometimes knee injuries require surgery to repair. They can cause chronic pain and suffering. 
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are one of the most serious injuries that can occur during a slip and fall accident. Striking the front or back of the skull on the ground or another object while falling is usually the cause. If a person is lucky, they may only experience a mild concussion. Others might suffer from skull fractures, hemorrhaging, and hematomas. With the exception of concussions, most TBIs require brain surgery to treat. 
• Spinal cord injuries can cause partial or total paralysis and sometimes even death. More than 25 percent of all spinal cord injuries are caused by falls, according to the Mayo Clinic.