Your job in California has you going up and down ladders almost every day, multiple times a day. You may feel so comfortable with scaling even extremely tall ladders that the inherent risks of ladder-related falls aren’t at the forefront of your mind. However, one fall can be all it takes to change the course and quality of your life.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examines occupational ladder fall injuries, a broad scope of injury that applies to anyone who uses a ladder in their daily work. This can be police officers, firefighters, construction workers, electricians, painters, and others. According to their numbers, falls are one of the leading causes of unintended injury mortality. On top of that, falls from ladders make up 43% of that statistic.
The initial impact and height of a fall often determine how bad the injuries will be. The higher you fall and the less protective gear you’re wearing, the more likely it is that you will sustain a life-changing injury. Common injuries resulting from ladder falls include:
- Broken or fractured bones, including the skull
- Damage to the spine or spinal cord
- Brain damage resulting from head trauma
- Paralysis due to back injury
Some of these injuries can take weeks to recover from. Others may take months, years, or result in irreversible damage.
Because of the potentially permanent impact of some of these injuries, such as brain damage or spinal damage and paralysis, it is common for accident victims to seek an attorney for professional representation when seeking compensation.