Trips, Slips, Falls and Miscellaneous Case Overviews

A description of six home accident scenarios and some of the related issues:

1. Fall down stairs
2. Stove Explosion
3. Slip and fall
4. Head injury caused by falling cabinet door
5. Injury caused by garage door
6. Fall from ladder

Scenario 1: Fall down stairs

An elderly woman lost her balance on a set of stairs and fell to the bottom, sustaining a severe head injury.

Issues:

• What were her kinematics and mechanism of injury?
  
• Were the stairs and associated furnishings defective in design or manufacture?
  
• Did any prior medical conditions contribute to the fall or resulting injury?
  
• Did the woman contribute to the accident and, if so, how?
  

Scenario 2: Stove Explosion

A man was lighting a stove when it exploded and forced him against a wall. He received multiple severe injuries.

Issues:

• What was the mechanism of injury?
  
• Did the design or manufacture of the stove cause the accident?
  
• Are the injuries consistent with the circumstances of the accident?
  
• Did the man contribute to the accident and, if so, how?
  

Scenario 3: Slip and fall

A woman slipped and fell on a kitchen floor and sustained severe back injuries.

Issues:

• What were the kinematics of the fall and the mechanism of injury?
  
• Did any prior medical conditions contribute to the fall or subsequent injuries?
  
• Did the floor or any other part of the accident environment contribute to the fall?
  

Scenario 4: Head injury caused by falling cabinet door

A young woman was cleaning kitchen cabinets when a door fell off a cabinet and struck her in the head. She was reported to have a closed head injury with a post-concussive syndrome.

Issues:

• What was the mechanism of head injury?
  
• Was the cabinet defective in design or manufacture or was there maintenance deficiency?
  
• Were the circumstances of the accident consistent with the injuries reported?
  

Scenario 5: Injury caused by garage door

A garage door closed and struck a woman on her back. She complained of back and jaw pain.

Issues:

• Could impact by the door cause TMJ syndrome?
  
• Is the description of the accident consistent with actual garage door function?
  
• Did prior dental problems contribute to clinical symptoms?
  

Scenario 6: Fall from ladder

A gentleman slips off neighbor’s ladder and sustains a severe ankle injury.

Issues:

• Did ladder fail or was it used incorrectly?
  What was mechanism of injury?
  
• Did the floor surface contribute to ladder’s failure to provide support?