Slip and Fall – the ugly step sibling to motor vehicle accidents. Oftentimes relegated to the less important department. I feel these injuries, these cases, these individuals, many times don’t get the respect and empathy they deserve. Yet in my 35 years, I have treated individuals who have suffered incredibly life-altering, permanent injuries due to improper or negligent property maintenance. Blatantly mismanaging one’s property to the extent that the surroundings are dangerous, leading to injuries, is as careless and negligent as texting and driving with its consequential injuries.
Too many doctors who espouse to treat personal injury patients really mean they treat motor vehicle accidents. They begrudgingly accept a patient injured in a slip and fall accident or worse, refuse to accept them at all.
Medical management of a slip and fall case.
Medical management of these cases can be challenging as well. Our practice sees spinal injuries yet in a slip and fall type of accident, there’re usually a host of other injuries. Sprained knees and ankles in addition to fractured wrists from instinctively putting your hands out to break your fall, require the referral to an orthopedic surgeon. Head trauma is common in these patients and these injuries require a neurologist. A particularly nasty fall may result in lacerations and abrasions requiring the services of a wound care specialist. And of course, there are the referrals to pain management and diagnostic imaging procedures.
Get your slip and fall client to the right medical facility.
What to do with your client who has been injured in a slip and fall accident? First, make sure they’re treating with a doctor who has the knowledge and experience to treat these varied types of injuries. Second, make sure they’re treating with a doctor who has an extensive network of specialists who also treat slip and fall accidents, to whom the treating doctor can refer. And third, make sure they’re treating with a doctor who will work with your office in a collaborative and fair manner when it comes to being paid for services.
If you have a client who has been injured in a slip and fall type of accident, simply call our office and we will take good care of them.
Dr. Mark A. Bolinger
