West Virginia residents who suffer an ankle injury in a fall may have a long recovery period or could have permanent damage. There are a number of different types of injuries that may happen to the ankle. Three bones make up the ankle, and any of these could be fractured. Some ankle fractures might involve injury to the lower leg bone. This is the type of injury that might leave permanent limitations to the ankle’s function.

A sprain or strain affects the ligaments. This could mean a long recovery time and may take months to fully heal. A ligament might also be torn as might the tendons. These types of injuries tend to have a recovery time similar to that of sprains and strains.

Ankle injuries in a slip-and-fall accident may happen when a person trips on an object or slips and the ankle rolls, is twisted side-to-side or is hyperextended. These types of injuries tend to occur because a person tries to stop the fall after tripping and comes down hard on the foot.

If a person suffers a slip-and-fall accident at another person or entity’s property and the accident is the result of the owner’s negligence, it might be possible to file a lawsuit against the property owners. Many property owners will carry premises liability insurance. However, this insurance may not pay a sufficient amount to a person to cover the cost of the injuries. When this happens, or if the owner was not insured, filing a lawsuit may be necessary to get sufficient compensation. It will be necessary to demonstrate that the property owner was negligent in some way and that the accident was the result of that negligence.