Experiencing a slip and fall accident can be a distressing and life-altering event. The physical injuries, emotional trauma, and financial burdens can leave victims feeling overwhelmed and seeking compensation. Understanding the factors that influence average slip and fall accident settlement amounts is crucial for determining the potential value of your claim.
This comprehensive guide delves into the intricacies of slip and fall accident settlements, providing insights into the key determinants that shape the compensation you may receive.
What is the average slip-and-fall settlement?
The typical settlement amount of slips and falls cases could vary from $10,000 to $50,000. However, averages only sometimes paint a complete picture. Settlements for slip and fall case amounts are much more extensive spread than the average (average) illustrates.
If you’ve been victimized in an accidental slip-and-fall, it is vital to remember that the amount you receive depends on various factors. You could have a right to higher than the typical settlement amount.
What is a slip or Fall Accident?
“Slip and fall accidents” or “slip and fall accidents” are more than just falling and slipping on a slippery spot or a banana peel. Also referred to as premises liability cases, the instances of slips and falls include injury incidents that happen on someone else’s property.
In compensation claims involving falls and slips, the property owner and tenants are people or entities liable for not safely maintaining the property.
Examples of common premises liability-related accidents comprise:
- Falls and slips at workplaces due to the failure to remove spills
- Stairways can be prone to falls due to damaged or defective steps
- Unsafely illuminated walkways or doors
- Faulty or damaged handrails cause the risk of accidents
- Accidents that occur in elevators
- Dropping objects
The premises liability policy also covers hazardous substances on the property that could cause illness and death, like hazardous or toxic waste and even materials.
Be aware that the fact that you’ve had an accident on the property of another doesn’t mean you are entitled to compensation. Your slip and accident lawyer must establish certain aspects of your case to claim the compensation you deserve.
How are Slip and Fall Settlements Calculated?
The method of calculating compensation for slips and falls may depend on various aspects, and there’s no standard formula for all cases. Settlements for slip and fall cases are usually agreed upon through negotiations between the victim and the party responsible, often with the help of insurance companies.
Factors Affecting Slip and Fall Case Settlements
Despite the typical slip-and-fall settlements, however, every Slip-and-fall case has specific circumstances that impact the victim’s compensation. Even when the issues are similar, the abovementioned factors could cause these cases to produce wildly different results.
The Nature of the Injury
The severity of a person’s injuries from an accident involving slips and falls is a significant factor in the settlement of decline and fall claims amount. The more severe the damage, the more substantial the payment will likely be; however, this is not always true.
If, for instance, an individual breaks a finger after slipping and falls, their medical treatment will be much lower than that of someone who falls and fractures their neck or suffers an injury to the brain called traumatic (TBI).
However, the severity of a traumatic injury and its consequent medical treatment aren’t the only elements affecting the final payout amount. In some situations, a person who has a fractured finger may be awarded a more significant amount of compensation than someone with a broken neck when they experience more losses.
The Extent of the Losses
The severity of an injury significantly affects the severity of the losses they suffer. However, this doesn’t mean that people suffering severe injuries will always suffer more than those who have less severe injuries.
This disparity is explained when considering the different losses that fall and slip victims can seek in cases involving slips and falls—for instance, the loss of wages. If you’re a victim of a fall and slip accident that requires you to be absent from work due to your injuries, you may seek the compensation they owe for the loss of earnings.
For example, if someone who earns minimum wage suffers a TBI, which results in two months off work, the person could claim compensation for lost wages in addition to other damages.
Imagine a professional musician earning six figures but breaks their finger during an accident that causes a slip and fall that results in two months without performing. Although their Injury isn’t as severe as the case of a TBI, the compensation they receive will probably be more since they earn more than the person who suffered the TBI.
Other damages that victims can claim as a result of the Injury resulting from a slip and fall are:
- Medical expenses and medical treatment include treatment, medication, and rehabilitation
- Suffering and pain
- Anguish, mental, and emotional
- A loss of enjoyment in life
- Loss of consortium
In the event of a fatality, family members of the victims can also pursue a claim for reimbursement of costs for funeral expenses as well as funeral costs—or funeral services of a beloved loved one.
The Credibility of the Evidence
Solid evidence is vital to ensure maximum compensation. Evidence of the premises owner’s liability or proof of damages may need to be included in some instances. In such cases, defendants may have to reduce those slips and fall settlement amounts they’re prepared to offer.
This is why lawyers for Personal Injury work hard to gather and preserve the evidence required to get the total compensation they deserve for their clients.
The presence of experienced counsel
According to numerous studies and statistics that have been gathered, victims of Injury who have an attorney to represent their interests typically receive more than four times the amount of compensation than those who attempt to deal with insurance companies by themselves. This explains why two people suffering similar injuries in similar circumstances may get differing results.
The truth is that adjusters for insurance companies have a knack for convincing injured victims to disregard legal advice and accept fast and simple payouts for injuries they’ve sustained. They also are adept at manipulating the words of victims against them, either to decrease or even deny settlement claims.
Find an attorney for Slip and Fall Settlements and Amounts.
Injured victims who need maximum compensation should know that the only professional with their best interests at heart is the personal injury lawyer.
If you’ve suffered injuries from a slip and fall accident, you might be entitled to receive compensation for your losses and damages. If you are in Maryland and you have a question, contact one of our personal injury attorneys.
Contact an experienced lawyer with The Justice Now for a no-cost consultation and to learn the details about how slips and fall lawsuits settlement amounts.