How Much Is a Slip and Fall Worth in Palm Harbor?

Various factors influence how much a slip and fall is worth in Palm Harbor. There are no average settlement amounts in slip and fall claims or other types of personal injury and premises liability cases.

Learning more about the factors that your slip and fall lawyer, the insurance company, and the courts consider when valuing injury cases can help prevent you from accepting a low settlement offer from the insurance company.

What Factors Affect a Slip and Fall Settlement Amount?

There are several key factors that can impact the overall settlement amounts for slip and fall cases. These include, but are not limited to:

The Severity of the Injury

One of the main factors influencing slip and fall settlements is the severity of injuries sustained from the fall. If your injuries are severe, they will require more extensive treatment and longer recovery periods, subsequently leading to more costly damages and higher settlement amounts. Some injuries can also result in lifelong disabilities or death, which can further increase settlement value.

Medical Costs

More severe injuries will result in higher medical expenses, which count toward the economic damages in slip and fall cases. These costs could include everything from emergency treatment to ongoing care, surgeries, and medications.

Lost Income

If you are unable to return to work because of an injury, either temporarily or permanently, you will see a loss of income, which can further factor into the economic damages in your case. Some people may be entirely unable to return to work or return to work in the same capacity as they could before their injuries, which would yield lost earning potential that could also contribute to a slip and fall settlement calculation.

Non-Economic Damages

You may suffer certain non-economic losses because of your injuries and the slip and fall incident. These damages could include pain and suffering, psychological distress, trauma, disfigurement, loss of relationships, and other similar damages stemming from the accident. While these damages don’t have specific monetary amounts attached to them, a Palm Harbor personal injury lawyer, insurer, or court could calculate them to factor them into your settlement.

The Liability of the Parties Involved

The liability of the parties in the case will also influence the overall settlement amount. For instance, a property owner might only be partially liable for a slip and fall accident when the victim shares liability for a degree of negligence.

How Much Is the Average Slip and Fall Settlement Worth?

You might wonder what the average slip and fall settlement is, but every case is different because of the numerous factors discussed above. Not every case will be the same or involve the same factors. Because of this, there aren’t accurate average slip and fall settlement values, but they can range from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the extent of the damages and other factors.

Injuries Caused by Slip and Fall Accidents

Many injuries can result from slip and fall accidents, which account for more than one million visits to hospital emergency rooms every year in the U.S.

Some of the most common slip and fall injuries in Florida include:

Bone Fractures and Breaks

When people fall on hard surfaces after slipping, they often sustain broken or fractured bones from the impact. People frequently break bones in their pelvises from these falls, including their hips. People may also break or fracture their arms, wrists, or hands when trying to stop their fall.

Soft Tissue Injuries

These are injuries that affect people’s muscles, cartilage, or tendons. They may result from strains, sprains, or tears and often involve joints such as the knees and elbows.

Back and Spinal Cord Injuries

Slip and fall accidents can also cause back and spinal cord injuries. While back injuries can be severe in many cases without causing damage to the spinal cord, injuries to the spinal cord can be debilitating. When a back injury severs these nerves, victims can suffer paralysis, especially when the injury occurs in the neck area.

Skin Lacerations

People can suffer cuts and tears when falling on hard surfaces in slip and fall accidents, with some resulting in deep cuts known as lacerations. Often, lacerations result when someone falls on a blade or another sharp object that causes a deep cut, which can lead to severe bleeding and potentially death.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

If a person falls on his or her head in a slip and fall accident, this can lead to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that may result in permanent and extensive brain damage. People suffering from TBIs might experience a range of symptoms, including cognitive difficulties, memory loss, loss of balance, personality or mood changes, and difficulty communicating.

Potential Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents may result from a variety of causes, such as:

• Uneven flooring or walkways
• Loose floorboards
• Wet or slippery floors
• Liquid and food spills
• Tripping hazards such as exposed wire or cables
• Loose or bulging carpets

Other causes could include loose rugs or mats or cracks or potholes, along with poor lighting conditions, broken steps on stairs, missing or broken handrails, and other potential causes.

Determining the cause of the slip and fall can help determine who is liable for the accident.

Where Slip and Fall Accidents Often Occur in Palm Harbor

Slip and fall accidents can occur in all types of spaces, which can make different parties liable depending on where the fall took place.

For example, slip and fall accidents can occur at apartments, nursing homes, neighborhoods, or other residential areas in Palm Harbor, which could make landlords, homeowners, homeowners associations, and other parties liable for slip and falls on residential property.

Slip and falls can also occur in many commercial facilities and areas, such as grocery stores, retail outlets, restaurants, shopping malls, amusement parks, stadiums, and parking garages. Slip and falls also frequently take place on elevators and escalators.

Sometimes slip and fall accidents occur in the workplace, which could provide the basis for a workers’ compensation case instead of premises liability.

What to Do After a Slip and Fall Accident

If you get involved in a slip and fall accident and sustain injuries and damages as a result, there are some steps you can take to increase your chances of successfully recovering compensation.

The steps to take after a slip and fall accident include:

Seek Immediate Medical Attention if Needed

Depending on the severity of your fall and injuries, you may need to seek immediate medical care from a professional. Even if you don’t need immediate care and your injuries appear minor, it’s in your best interest to see a medical professional early on after your fall. A doctor can assess your injuries, make a formal diagnosis, and may prescribe treatment. Medical professionals can also provide you with medical records that may help support an accident claim.

Gather as Much Evidence as Possible

Shortly after you become injured, you should record photos or video footage of the scene of the accident. Capture visual evidence of the obstacle or other cause of your fall and any visible injuries. This evidence can help show the conditions of the location where the fall took place.

If you are unable to take photos or record video of the accident scene at the time of the accident, try to return to the scene as soon as possible to reduce the risk of changing conditions that could otherwise make it harder to prove the cause of your slip and fall.

Get Information From Witnesses

If witnesses in the vicinity of the accident saw your slip and fall accident, get their details. Obtain their names and contact details, which could help you or your premises liability lawyer reach out to them later and record a statement for use as evidence in your case.

Notify the Property Owner or Other Party in Charge of the Property

As soon as possible after the accident, you must also notify the property owner, manager, or another party responsible for maintaining the property. If you fall in a commercial space and management isn’t available, notify employees in the area. Notifying these parties can help make them aware of the hazard that caused your fall and eliminates the risk of compromising your case by keeping the fall to yourself.

Consult With a Lawyer

If you want to begin a slip and fall case, you should also consider speaking with an experienced premises liability attorney. An attorney can meet with you in a consultation to discuss the nature of your accident and determine if you have a valid case. If he or she decides to handle your case, you may then file a claim or lawsuit against liable parties.

By looking at all the factors involved, you can determine how much your slip and fall may be worth.

Jim Magazine

James (Jim) Magazine is a Florida Board Certified Civil Trial lawyer who has spent his career helping injured victims. Jim is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida since 1990 and is also admitted to practice at the Appellate level and admitted to the United States Supreme Court.

Years of Experience: More than 30 years
Florida Registration Status: Active
Bar Admissions:
Clearwater Bar Association
West Pasco Bar Association