Slip- Trip- Falls

Whether it's in a restaurant, concert hall, or in someone's home, trips and falls are one of the most common forms of premise liability. Human factors play an important role in nearly all of these mishaps. Weather conditions, a lack of illumination, slippery floors, improper stairs and environmental surroundings, such as visual discretions can be found in commercial and residential venus. Stairs and single steps, even street curbs have been the sites of numerous accidents investigated by Wallace J. Ochterski, P.E.

The lack of compliance with a building code or standard does not always present the sole cause of trips and falls. With the experience of over 25 years in the design and investigation of these types of trip-fall incidents, Mr. Ochterski has the background to understand the human gait and expectations as well as a person's cone of vision. Undoubtedly, a well trained building official might spot a defect in the construction of a flight of stairs. The question Mr. Ochterski addresses is; "Was this defect the sole cause of the fall incident, and what else might have come into play".

Cases investigated and reported on by Wallace J. Ochterski, P.E. in the last thre years covered the following circumstances:

• Stairs and walkway with insufficient illumination
• Single step stairway with and without hand railing
• Fall over railing on stairway
• Slip and fall on quarry tiles at pool
• Fall in parking lot on ice
• Trip/fall at driveway apron and street
• Door closing mechanism and failure
• Slip/fall on plywood construction cover
• Trip/fall on ramp side slope
• Hand railing pulled from wall
• Fall from stairway while wearing slipper socks
• Fall from landings with and without railing
• Hand railing not at standard height
• Stair risers not at standard height
• Fall in retail store on obstacle.
• Pedestrian fall in construction zone
• Spiral stairs with hand railing lacking
• Americans with Disability Act compliance
• Sidewalk heave from tree roots
• Trip/fall over parking bumpers
• Trip/fall in crowd on stairway
• Stairway without center hand railing