New Haven Slip And Fall Accidents Don’t Just Happen In The Winter

The winter months can be a time when injuries from slipping and falling are very common.  You may read a lot of information about how ice and snow on sidewalks and walkways can lead to serious injury and in some cases fatal injuries.  This is all very true, but it is important to note that this is not where the danger ends.  When the temperatures rise into the 40s and 50s the danger for a New Haven slip and fall accident does not just disappear.  In fact, in some cases the danger for this type of injury can increase because we are not on the lookout for these types of dangers as much as we would be if there was snow or ice on the ground.

Take for instance a trip up a set of stairs.  In the winter months you may find yourself taking one step at a time and walking gingerly up the set of stairs because you are concerned that there may be ice under foot.  This can be a perfectly real assumption and walking carefully up that set of stairs may make a lot of sense to keep yourself safe.  You may then decide to take that same set of stairs in the month of April and not think anything about taking a few steps at a time or jogging up the stairs to make a faster pace of your trip, however you may then slip because the stairs are just plain wet.  Wet stairs present similar dangers that icy and snowy stairs may present.

Here’s another common scenario that may occur in both the winter and spring months that could lead to drastically different outcomes.  Let’s say you are out for a walk on sidewalk that you typically walk everyday.  You are walking slowly and carefully due to your concern over ice and snow in the winter months.  When you approach that same sidewalk in the spring months you may not think anything of walking swiftly to get to your destination, but during the winter the sidewalk may have pulled up due to frost and now is a tripping hazard.  If you don’t see this hazard you could very easily find yourself injured after you trip.

The bottom line is that in the spring months you should take equal care to your walking paths as you would in the winter.  Snow and ice do certainly make walkways, stairs, and streets more slippery, but they are not the only things that make these pathways slippery and dangerous to walk along.  Paying close attention to weather and the terrain that you are walking on will help prevent you from getting into a New Haven slip and fall accident year round and you should take this responsibility seriously so you can arrive safely and without injury wherever you are going.  It can be easy to get distracted while you’re out enjoying our wonderful city during the spring months as trees are blossoming and the weather is warmer, but keeping in mind your safety first will help you enjoy your time throughout the city even more each and every day.

Whether you’re out for a walk, on your way to work, or just plain climbing a set of stairs somewhere in the city, you will want to keep yourself safe from injury, but if you do happen to get injured you may want to speak with an attorney who can work with you to protect your long-term interests.  Contact our office and one of our attorneys will speak with you and review the details of your case.