Usage of almost (He slipped and almost fell.)

[Hanifasmm]

Hi,
1. He slipped and almost fell.
As per this sentence, should I mean "He fell" or
"He was about to fall but escaped." ?
Please enlighten me.
Thanks,
Er.S.M.M.Hanifa

[Jamie (K)]

He was about to fall, but he regained his footing. So he never really fell. That is if there is no more to the story.

However, it's possible to say, "He was about to fall, so I ran to save him, but I was too late." That means he really fell after you noticed him.