Common Home Accidents: From Cuts to Brain Injury

Americans love their homes; they do what they can to make it a safe place for friends and family by creating a stable and heartwarming environment for all who visit and live there. We make sure our home is maintained so as not to cause accidents, and we do our best to make it a place where injury is avoided. But, as we all know, the home can also be a scene of accidents ranging from light abrasions to head injuries. What are some of the most common household accidents and injuries?

In our homes, we provide routine maintenance to ensure that the wires are safe, the vents are clean, and the floors are free from any slippery or oily substance. Some of the common injuries in and around the home include the following:

• Falls: Slips and falls in the home occur more often than not, when the floor is slippery, when something obstructs the hallway, or when someone misses a step at the top or bottom of the stairs.
• Slippery Showers: Generally, among seniors residing the in house, slippery showers are often the location where many falls occur. It’s easy to become disoriented; slippery showers can easily be modified by installing shower bars or grip bars to assist those who may be less steady on their feet. Slippery showers can cause head trauma from the impact against the side shower wall or shower floor.
• Broken Glass: Window repair seems easy as long as the window fits in the pane, right? But any slight movement could cause the pane to break into large pieces or shatter into many tiny pieces. Broken glass can fly into eyes and cause cuts that are life-threatening due to heavy bleeding. Combat this problem by wearing protective goggles and skin protection anytime you need to repair windows or glass in your home.
• Suffocation: Babies are susceptible to suffocation, when they are not placed correctly in their cribs, or when they find an object on the floor or within reach that they put over their heads. Keep all objects like bags, plastic, sheets and blankets away from baby’s reach.
• Falling Objects: Many children and adults are injured each year when objects placed high up on a shelf fall on them, such as when a cabinet item or television falls on a child. Make sure that all furniture is stable.

While we do our best to protect those living in and visiting our home, some common sense guidelines can make our haven that much more of a safe one.

If you have been injured at the home of someone who may not have taken the precautions that you do in your home, you will want to seek the advice of a New York law firm who can best assist you in your case.