Slip and Fall Accidents: Your Legal Rights

Read­ing Time: 3 min­utes

Last Updat­ed on April 25, 2023 by acci­dents

Slip and fall acci­dents are a com­mon occur­rence. In fact, accord­ing to the Nation­al Floor Safe­ty Insti­tute, more than 20 mil­lion peo­ple are injured in slip and fall acci­dents each year. These acci­dents can cause a vari­ety of injuries, includ­ing bro­ken bones, head injuries, and spinal cord injuries. If you have been injured in a slip and fall acci­dent, you may be enti­tled to com­pen­sa­tion for your med­ical expens­es, lost wages, pain and suf­fer­ing, and oth­er dam­ages.

The legal rights of slip and fall vic­tims vary from state to state. How­ev­er, there are some gen­er­al prin­ci­ples that apply in most juris­dic­tions. In order to recov­er com­pen­sa­tion for your injuries, you must prove that the prop­er­ty own­er was neg­li­gent. Neg­li­gence is defined as a fail­ure to exer­cise rea­son­able care that caus­es harm to anoth­er per­son.

In the con­text of slip and fall acci­dents, prop­er­ty own­ers may be neg­li­gent if they fail to:

  • Keep their prop­er­ty clean and dry
  • Repair any cracks or holes in their floors
  • Remove any debris from their walk­ways
  • Install handrails on stairs and ramps
  • Pro­vide ade­quate light­ing in their home and busi­ness
  • Be aware of any poten­tial haz­ards on their prop­er­ty

If you can prove that the prop­er­ty own­er was neg­li­gent, you may be enti­tled to recov­er com­pen­sa­tion for your injuries. The amount of com­pen­sa­tion you can recov­er will depend on the sever­i­ty of your injuries and the impact they have had on your life. In some cas­es, you may also be able to recov­er puni­tive dam­ages, which are designed to pun­ish the prop­er­ty own­er for their neg­li­gence.

If you have been injured in a slip and fall acci­dent, it is impor­tant to speak with an expe­ri­enced slip and fall lawyer as soon as pos­si­ble. A lawyer can help you under­stand your legal rights and options and fight for the com­pen­sa­tion you deserve.

Here are some addi­tion­al things to keep in mind if you have been injured in a slip and fall acci­dent:

  • Report the acci­dent to the prop­er­ty own­er or man­ag­er as soon as pos­si­ble. This will cre­ate a record of the acci­dent and may help you if you decide to file a law­suit.
  • Seek med­ical atten­tion imme­di­ate­ly, even if your injuries seem minor. Slip and fall injuries can some­times have hid­den con­se­quences that may not be appar­ent right away.
  • Save all of your med­ical bills, receipts, and oth­er doc­u­men­ta­tion relat­ed to your injuries. This doc­u­men­ta­tion will be impor­tant if you decide to file a law­suit.
  • Do not talk to the insur­ance com­pa­ny with­out first speak­ing to an attor­ney. The insur­ance com­pa­ny may try to get you to make a state­ment that could be used against you in court.
  • Con­tact an expe­ri­enced slip and fall lawyer as soon as pos­si­ble. A lawyer can help you under­stand your legal rights and options and fight for the com­pen­sa­tion you deserve.

Slip and Fall Accidents by Numbers

  • In 2021, there were an esti­mat­ed 20 mil­lion slip and fall acci­dents in the Unit­ed States.
  • Of those acci­dents, 3.2 mil­lion result­ed in injuries that required med­ical atten­tion.
  • The aver­age cost of a slip and fall acci­dent is $17,000.
  • The most com­mon caus­es of slip and fall acci­dents are wet floors, uneven sur­faces, and objects that have been left in walk­ways.
  • Slip and fall acci­dents are more like­ly to occur in old­er adults, chil­dren, and peo­ple with dis­abil­i­ties.
  • Slip and fall acci­dents can cause a vari­ety of injuries, includ­ing bro­ken bones, head injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
  • In some cas­es, slip and fall acci­dents can even be fatal.

$15 Million for Slip and Fall Case

The largest sum recov­ered for a slip and fall case is $15 mil­lion. In 2011, a man was award­ed $15 mil­lion after he slipped and fell on a wet floor at a Wal­mart store. The man suf­fered a trau­mat­ic brain injury and was left with per­ma­nent dis­abil­i­ties. The jury found that Wal­mart was neg­li­gent in fail­ing to clean up the wet floor and award­ed the man $15 mil­lion in dam­ages.

While this is the largest sum ever recov­ered for a slip and fall case, it is impor­tant to note that most slip and fall cas­es set­tle for much less. The aver­age set­tle­ment for a slip and fall case is around $10,000. The amount of mon­ey you can recov­er for a slip and fall case will depend on the sever­i­ty of your injuries, the cost of your med­ical care, and the impact your injuries have had on your life.

If you have been injured in a slip and fall acci­dent, it is impor­tant to speak with an expe­ri­enced slip and fall lawyer as soon as pos­si­ble. A lawyer can help you under­stand your legal rights and options and fight for the com­pen­sa­tion you deserve.