Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common work-related injuries in the U.S., and they accounted for over 20% of workplace fatalities in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you suffered a serious injury due to a slip and fall accident, you might be wondering how much compensation you are entitled to receive and if there is an average payout for these types of cases.
Just like most personal injury cases, there is no average payout for slip and fall accidents, and the amount of compensation you recover will depend on the level of harm you suffered, what type of insurance coverage the property owner has in place, and whether you were at fault for the accident.
To figure out whether you are entitled to compensation for your slip and fall accident and to discuss your legal rights in this situation, you should contact our law firm today. Here at The Law Place, we have dealt with many slip and fall accidents over our 75 years of practice, and we can help you get the compensation you deserve. We offer a free legal consultation so you can receive advice from an experienced personal injury attorney from our firm with no strings attached. Our clients always receive the highest standard of legal assistance from us, and we promise that we will do everything in our power to get you justice for your slip and fall accident in Florida.
Call us today to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer at (941) 444-4444. Our phone lines are always open.
How Do I Make a Slip and Fall Claim?
Making a slip and fall claim is similar to most other personal injury cases in Florida. In order to recover compensation, you must file a personal injury claim against the at-fault party, which is typically the property owner in slip and fall accidents. Insurance companies are usually responsible for covering your compensation, and you will have to demonstrate the following elements to be awarded a fair settlement:
- Duty of care – You must show that the party responsible had a duty to ensure your safety and to prevent an accident from happening.
- Breach of this duty – The responsible party failed in their duty to you by acting negligently. This includes when a property owner fails to signpost wet floors or creates a dangerous environment in a workplace.
- Causation – It is necessary to prove that your injuries were directly caused by this negligent behavior.
- Damages – In order to receive compensation, you must have suffered damages. This can include medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and wrongful death. The more damages you are entitled to, the higher your settlement amount will be.
Is There an Average Slip and Fall Settlement?
The amount of compensation you can recover from a slip and fall or premises liability case depends on several factors, and there is generally no average settlement in these cases. Some factors that will impact your slip and fall settlement include:
- If you suffered serious injuries.
- Who was responsible for the accident, which in most cases will be the property owner or your employer.
- Whether the injuries have impacted your normal life.
- The extent of your financial losses/damages.
In order to ensure that you receive a fair settlement for your slip and fall accident, we recommend that you get the backing of an experienced slip and fall attorney. They can increase your chances of recovering maximum compensation for your case, even if you suffered minor injuries.
Common Injuries Resulting From a Slip and Fall Accident
In order to seek compensation for your premises liability case, you must have suffered some form of injury. Depending on the severity of your accident, the injuries you have suffered could vary. Some of the most common ones seen by our attorneys include:
- Bruises, cuts, and lacerations.
- Broken, fractured, and sprained bones.
- Head and brain injuries, including traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- Permanent disability, including paralysis.
- Neck injuries, including whiplash.
- Scarring and disfigurement.
If your injury was serious, and you have had to incur a lot of medical costs, it will be possible to increase your settlement amount. However, even if you just suffered a minor injury, you are still entitled to recover compensation from the negligent party to cover the costs of your damages. Having legal representation will increase your chances of getting a fair outcome for your slip and fall case.
What Damages Can I Claim in a Slip and Fall Case?
The damages that you have suffered will have the largest impact on the slip and fall settlement amount you receive. If you have suffered severe injuries or a permanent disability, the settlement you receive will be much higher than if you suffered a minor injury in the accident. Some of the damages our lawyers can help you claim to include:
- Medical bills – You can claim for any medical expenses resulting from your injuries, including hospital appointments, transport to and from these appointments, and medical bills relating to future medical care for long-lasting injuries.
- Lost wages – If you have had to miss work because of your injuries, you can file for any lost wages as a result. This can also include potential future earnings.
- Pain and suffering – Many slip and fall injuries can cause victims to suffer much more than physical suffering, and often victims are emotionally distressed due to their injuries, which can negatively impact their normal life. It is possible to recover pain and suffering damages for any emotional or physical distress you suffer due to an accident.
- Wrongful death – If a family member has lost their lives in a slip and fall accident, we can help you file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for funeral costs and a loss of income to the family household.
What Happens Following Slip and Fall Accidents?
In general, premises liability and slip and fall cases don’t go to court, as property owners and insurance companies often try to avoid lawyer and court fees. Additionally, the party at fault for your slip and fall case will likely prefer to settle outside of court to avoid any extra charges or harm to their business. In most cases, the victim threatening to bring the negligent party to court is enough to make them pay you out a fair settlement.
Following your slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, the process of recovering compensation will usually proceed as follows:
- You seeking medical assistance for any injury you have suffered.
- Gathering evidence and the contact details of the parties involved.
- Filing a summons and a complaint.
- Waiting for a response from the at-fault party.
- Getting a personal injury lawyer to draft and send a demand letter on your behalf.
- Pre-trial discovery phase.
- Pre-trial discovery motions.
- Settlement and mediation between the parties and lawyers involved.
- Going to trial if necessary.
- Recovering the compensation you are awarded.
If the mediation process is not successful, and your claim is undervalued by the lawyers and insurance companies involved, you can file a personal injury lawsuit and bring the at-fault party to try to recover the medical bills and damages you are owed from the accident. Lawsuits can be quite stressful, and proving negligence in slip and fall cases can be difficult, so we recommend you contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible.
Should I Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer for My Slip and Fall Accident?
Many slip and fall accident victims are unsure whether having legal assistance is a good idea. However, our firm always recommends that you seek legal advice from an experienced attorney for slip and fall cases as, in these types of cases, it can be difficult to receive a fair settlement.
This is because proving negligence in these cases is often onerous, and the negligent party may try to establish fault on your behalf to reduce the amount of compensation you can recover. Additionally, an insurance company might undervalue your settlement amount or outright deny your claim. If a lawyer is fighting your case, they will ensure that you are treated fairly and that you get the compensation you deserve.
Further, if you are worried about legal costs, you should know that our law firm works entirely on a contingency fee basis, meaning we will not take any money from you unless we are successful in getting you a settlement. If we are successful, we will deduct our legal fees from the settlement amount you receive, which are always guaranteed to be at a fair rate.
Contact The Law Place Today
If you have been involved in a slip and fall accident in Florida and are wondering how much you could recover in a settlement, you should contact our law firm today. As stated above, there is generally no average settlement amount for these cases, and the compensation you receive will depend on several factors.
The most important thing in these cases is that you are aware of your rights, the damages you are entitled to, and the legal options available for you. At The Law Place, we can help ensure that you receive a fair payout for the harm you have suffered and that you get the settlement amount you deserve. Throughout our 75 years of practice, we have built up a strong attorney-client relationship, and we always get our clients the settlements they are owed. We offer a free case evaluation for you to speak with a passionate lawyer with no strings attached.
Call us today at (941) 444-4444 for a free consultation. Our phone lines are always open.