What is the Average Settlement for a Slip and Fall Case With a Dallas Slip and Fall Lawyer?

As the name implies, slip and fall injuries are injuries caused by slipping, tripping, or falling due to unsafe property conditions, such as wet surfaces, defective stairs, and cluttered walkways.

These accidents account for about 1 million trips to the emergency room per year, according to the National Floor Safety Institute (NSFI). Based on the average hospital cost of a slip and fall, you might expect to receive $30,000 for your injuries.

But compensation isn’t based solely on medical expenses.

Every slip and fall case is unique, so it’s difficult to provide an average settlement amount. ​​​​​​​This amount can vary based on many factors, like how the fall occurred and the severity of the injury. A Dallas slip and fall lawyer can give you a more accurate value of your potential settlement amount after reviewing the circumstances around your case.

This article will look at the primary factors considered when calculating the value of a slip and fall settlement and how to successfully prove your case.

What is the Average Settlement for a Slip and Fall Case With a Dallas Slip and Fall Lawyer?

The Severity Of Your Injuries

Slip and falls can cause injuries such as a broken hip, sprained ankles, or even brain damage. The amount and severity of these injuries will impact the compensation you receive. For example, a sprained ankle will require less ongoing medical care than a spine injury.

The Amount of Medical Bills

The bills you incur for current and future medical procedures make up a huge determining factor in slip and fall lawsuit settlement amounts. When you suffer from an injury, you can quickly rack up bills from doctor visits and surgeries. If a property owner’s negligence harms you, they might be responsible for covering all of your medical costs.

Lost Wages

Setting up doctor, surgery, and rehabilitation appointments takes time. If your injury causes you to miss work, you can seek to recover these damages as part of your claim. 

Pain And Emotional Suffering

Noneconomic damages, like pain, suffering and mental anguish, may also be considered when determining the value of your case. For example, your slip and fall injury could create a lifetime of complications that take a toll on your mental health and affect the quality of your life moving forward. These non-monetary damages are hard to put a price tag on, but they can have a dramatic impact on your well-being.

Building Your Case

When you file a slip and fall claim, you’re asking for compensation based on the other party’s negligence in preventing hazards on their property. A successful slip and fall settlement needs three things:

The Owner Responsible for the Safety of the Property

The first step is to establish who is responsible for the property and providing a certain standard of safety. If the property is in a publicly accessible area, there is an expectation to keep people safe whoever steps inside or outside — from employees and customers to vendors and solicitors. Even trespassers have limited protection under premises liability law.

How the At-Fault Party Failed to Meet Their Responsibility

When an unsafe condition is discovered (or even suspected), it is the owner’s responsibility to correct the issue immediately. Whether through failure to clean up a spill or repair a broken sidewalk, you must prove how the at-fault party’s negligence caused your injuries.

Disproving Shared Liability

The property owner will argue that you share some blame for your fall, like ignoring where you were walking. If you contributed to the accident, this might reduce your settlement value.

The Difficulty in Proving Negligence

Like we mentioned above, a successful claim must prove that the defendant owed the plaintiff a standard of safety, that the victim suffered physical injury, and that the defendants’ negligence caused these injuries.

But proving negligence is more challenging than you think. Unlike car accident lawsuits, where liability can be proved using police reports, skid marks, and camera footage, there may not be an abundance of evidentiary resources available with slip and fall cases. Instead, you might have to rely on your first-hand account, which can turn into a “he said, she said” situation.

In addition, you’ll likely have to deal with their insurance adjuster if they have premises liability insurance. Because their job is to save the insurance company money, the adjuster will attempt to poke holes in your story to prove that their client isn’t liable for the damages or try to minimize the extent of their liability.

What is the Average Settlement for a Slip and Fall Case With a Dallas Slip and Fall Lawyer?

Maximize Your Claim With a Dallas Slip and Fall Lawyer

Because of the complexity of the law, Texas slip and fall cases can be challenging to win. However, when you partner with an experienced Dallas slip and fall lawyer, you’ll have a better chance of winning compensation for your injuries.

If you’ve suffered from a slip or fall, schedule a free consultation with us today. Our team of personal injury lawyers will help you determine the value of your claim and gather necessary supporting evidence to make sure you get the money — and justice — you deserve.