Well, according to William Fry, founder of gelatology (the study of laughter), the fall happens in a "play frame". This is a real life event in a non serious situation. The situation has to be non serious because if someone fell off a skyscraper, it would be life threatening, serious, and, well, not very funny. However, if someone is just walking casually and falls it creates a "play frame". It is something that happens that is not serious because I know the person isn't hurt so I can safely laugh at them.
But why is laughter the first response? Laughing is often thought of as a way for the body to release cognitive energy. Our brains are constantly calculating and predicting events that will happen in the next couple of second. For example, if someone throws you a ball, your brain calculates where it will land and puts your hand their so you can catch it. So laughter can just be energy being released from our thoughts. But why is laughing such a common response to when a person falls?
Falling is an incongruity to a typical and boring event such as walking. It is something we did not anticipate and, as long as we know the person is ok, then laughter is a way for us to release the energy that our brain produced from that surprise. Laughing is actually a good thing, not only in obvious ways like releasing stress or making you happy but it also has been shown to help your vascular system stay healthy. Laughing is in our blood.
Sources:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ask-the-brains-why-do-we-laugh
http://phys.org/news/2011-02-falls.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110828101806.htm
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