Accidents that result in premises liabilityclaims can occur on either private or public property, andtypically involve injuries. Slip-and-fall accidents often takeplace in retail establishments, including grocery stores andrestaurants, as well as parking lots, apartment complex grounds,and hotel lobbies and hallways, to name a few. Such accidents oftenoccur as the result of wet or contaminated walking surfaces, whiletrip-and-fall incidents are caused by material, debris or otherobstructions on the walking surface, or uneven surfaces.

While many of these incidents are truly accidental in nature,there are occasions where slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidentsare staged for the purpose of collecting on an insurance claim. TheNational Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) studied questionableslip-and-fall claims that were referred for review from Jan. 1,2010 through Dec. 31, 2011. During the calendar year 2010, therewere 1,944 claims referred, compared to 2,168 referred claims in2011. That's an increase of 12 percent.

“Each year slips, trips, and falls are among the leading causesof serious physical injury and fatalities,” says Thomas Parco,R.A., of Rimkus Consulting Group Inc. “It is essential to makecertain you are utilizing qualified experts in analyzing andproviding technical data to support expert opinions when analyzingslip, trip and fallincidents.”