How Much Could I Get in a Slip and Fall Settlement?

Slips and falls can cause serious injuries, especially in the elderly.

After falling, many of our clients suffer concussions or injuries to their back or neck.

These injuries often leave people unable to leave the house, so they must miss work while they try to recover.

At Platte River Injury Law, we receive many questions, but one common question involves money.

In particular, people want to know what slip and fall lawsuit settlement amounts they are looking at if they bring a lawsuit.

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to the question “how much I will get in a slip and fall settlement?”.

Instead, settlements are based on a number of factors such as the extent of your injuries, your reduction in quality of life, and your responsibility in the slip and fall.

Below, we will explain what factors go into determining a slip and fall settlement.

Measure Your Economic Losses

Slip and fall injuries end up costing victims quite a bit of money, which they can receive compensation for.

Economic losses you can receive reimbursement for include:

• Medical expenses to treat your injuries
• Lost wages, if your slip and fall injuries prevented you from returning to work
• Any money spent to replace property damaged in your fall

You should always hold onto all bills and receipts to show your lawyer, who can determine if an expense is something you can receive reimbursement for.

Estimate Your Non-Economic Losses

Every physical injury reduces a person’s quality of life, and this reduction is harder to measure in dollars and cents. Nevertheless, Wyoming law allows a slip and fall victim to receive compensation for:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress resulting from the accident

One way to estimate your compensation for non-economic losses is to multiply your economic losses by 2-4. If you lost $10,000 because of your injuries, you might receive an additional $20,000 in pain and suffering compensation.

Of course, every case is different. Someone with temporary injuries will receive less in damages for non-economic losses than someone whose injuries are permanent (like paralysis). You should meet with a seasoned Casper personal injury lawyer to discuss your case.

Calculate Your Own Responsibility for the Accident

You might share some blame for slipping and falling. For example, you might have been reading a text message on your phone or been checking out your Instagram page when you fell in a store. Because you weren’t paying attention, you might not have seen that a jar of pickles had fallen off the shelves and smashed on the floor.

Under Wyoming law, your own contributory negligence can reduce the amount of compensation you receive. If your own negligence contributed 40% to your injuries, and your injuries are worth $40,000, then the maximum you can expect to receive is $24,000 (which is 60% of $40,000).

If you are over 50% responsible, then you will not receive anything.

When meeting with your lawyer, review your own actions in the moments leading up to your fall. Your lawyer can help minimize your own contributory negligence in order to maximize the amount you take home in a settlement.

Speak to a Casper Slip & Fall Lawyer Today

In this do-it-yourself culture, many people try to negotiate a slip and fall settlement on their own.

This is a serious mistake, and we encourage people to contact an attorney for help with their case.

Platte River Injury Law has served Casper and the entire state of Wyoming for years, and we are anxious to help you, too. To schedule a free consultation, please contact us at your convenience.