Slip and fall accidents can cause a wide range of injuries, from minor to fatal. Fortunately, Missouri law allows injured victims to seek personal injury compensation when their accident resulted from negligence by parties such as property owners, managers, and tenants.
The compensation recovered through such slip and fall settlements can cover a victim’s economic and non-economic losses.
Average Slip And Fall Settlement Amounts
Most slip and fall cases settle for between $10,000 and $50,000. Insurance companies include many expenses when they estimate their costs, including the adjuster’s time to investigate and process claims.
Moreover, settlements depend on the severity of the victim’s injuries. Someone who only sustains a sprained ankle will receive significantly less than someone who strikes their head and suffers a brain injury. As an example, one of the largest slip and fall settlements in the U.S. was worth $18 million; it was for a man who fell into an uncovered manhole and broke his back.
Nevertheless, the $10,000 to $50,000 range for slip and fall cases serves as a starting point when examining the relevant factors.
Factors That Affect Slip And Fall Settlements
Your injuries determine your losses. Your losses, in turn, specify what you can reasonably seek in a slip and fall lawsuit. For example, if you work in an office job, a back injury might prevent you from sitting at your desk to work. However, a leg injury might have less impact on your ability to perform your job if you sit all day.
In any case, your losses have both economic and non-economic aspects.
Economic Losses
Economic losses encompass your financial costs due to your injuries. Examples of these losses include the following:
- Costs for medical care, medication, and physical therapy
- Lost earnings due to missing work
- Future diminished income because of long-term disabilities
You can estimate your economic losses by adding all the costs arising from your injuries. You will need receipts, bills, and other financial records to prove these losses in your insurance claim or lawsuit.
Non-Economic Losses
Non-economic losses capture the impact of your injuries on your quality of life. Examples of these losses include the following:
- Physical pain
- Mental suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Dismemberment
These losses do not come with an inherent value. Instead, they are based on how severe your injuries are and how long they last.
Suppose that you fall down a flight of stairs because of a broken handrail and suffer fractured facial bones as a result. Your non-economic losses will include the pain and mental anguish you endure in your recovery. They will also include the change in your facial appearance due to scarring.
Of course, with all of that in mind, the value of non-economic losses is difficult to estimate. However, damages experts typically use two theories when explaining these losses to juries.
First, there is the multiplier approach, which assigns a factor based on the severity of your injuries. Your economic losses are then multiplied by that factor to determine the total compensation. Thus, a factor of 2.5 with economic losses of $10,000 will result in $25,000 in total losses, a value that includes $15,000 in pain and suffering.
Alternatively, there is the per diem approach, which assigns a daily loss value based on the severity of your injuries. You’ll multiply the per diem loss by the number of days you suffer the injury’s effects.
For example, a per diem loss of $100 for an injury that lasted a year gives $36,500 in non-economic losses. That amount is added to your economic losses to calculate your total compensation.
Contact a Slip And Fall Accident Lawyer at Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers Today
If you were injured in an accident due to someone else’s careless or negligent actions, contact an experienced slip and fall accident lawyer to discuss your case. Your attorney will fight for fair compensation, and they don’t get paid unless you win.
For more information, contact the attorneys at Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers we proudly serve all throughout Missouri, including St. Louis County, and we have offices in St. Louis, Chesterfield, Clayton, and Creve Coeur.
Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers – St. Louis Office
1010 Market Street, Suite 1605
St. Louis, Missouri
(636) 519-0085
Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers – Chesterfield Office
400 Chesterfield Center Suite 400
Chesterfield, MO 63017
(636) 999-9587
Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers – Creve Coeur Office
11628 Old Ballas Rd, Suite 320
Creve Coeur, MO 63141
(314) 557-2869
Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers – Clayton Office
7733 Forsyth Blvd, Suite 1100
Clayton, MO 63105
(314) 804-4569
