Average Slip and Fall Settlements in California

Prospective clients are very focused on the size of their potential settlement in a slip-and-fall case – and they should be. If you have been injured, you are likely facing a cash crunch, as bills can pile up fast. At the same time, your injuries could limit your earnings power, so you do not have as much money coming into your account (if you are earning anything at all). You have the best chance to get the most possible money for your injuries when you contact an experienced slip-and-fall injury lawyer in San Francisco to fight for you. 

Slip and Fall Settlements Can Vary Considerably

First, it is hard to answer a question about how much your case is worth by referencing the average settlement. The question is more about what you can personally receive for your injuries. Your case could be worth considerably more than the average claim if you have been seriously hurt. You should not ask for less money in a settlement because you think that you are asking for too much. 

There is a very large variance in settlements for slip and fall cases. Some cases could be worth tens of thousands of dollars, while other settlements could reach seven figures. How much you get has nothing to do with luck or anything random – it has everything to do with how hard you fight for what you are due. 

Your Settlement Check Depends on Your Injuries

Of course, the main factor determining your settlement is the extent of your injuries, but other things could also come into play. For example, if you are suing a corporate defendant, they may have more insurance coverage available to pay for your injuries (more than the average homeowner would carry). 

In reality, you are anything but average. You are not the same as every other slip-and-fall accident victim. Your life circumstances, and the specifics of your injury, have nothing to do with someone else’s experience. If you focus on some unnamed person who you will never meet as your benchmark, you may be leaving a fair amount of money on the table. For example, your injury could have caused you extreme pain that stays with you for the rest of your life. You could have been making a lot of money at your job that you are no longer able to perform because of your injuries. 

Your Damages in a Slip and Fall Case

In a slip and fall case, the legal concept is simple – once you can prove that someone else was to blame for your accident, you have the right to be paid your full damages. While the concept may be simple, an insurance company will do everything possible to make the actual case as difficult as possible. 

There are two types of damages that you can receive in every slip and fall case:

• Economic damages compensate you for the actual money that you have lost, whether they are expenses related to the treatment of your injury or funds that you would have earned at work had you not missed time.
• Non-economic damages pay you for the experience related to the accident. You could be in physical or emotional pain on account of your injuries. The accident could have caused you to lose the quality of life that you had before the accident. 

Although punitive damages are a possibility, they are very rare in a personal injury case and even more unlikely in a slip and fall lawsuit. 

You Can Take Steps to Maximize Your Compensation

It is up to you to maximize your slip-and-fall accident settlement. The insurance company is not going to give you the money that you deserve without a fight. They may have to be dragged into offering you a better settlement. 

The first thing that you need to do is learn the value of your claim. On your own, it is difficult to know how much you can ask for when you file a claim. Concepts like pain and suffering may be new to you, and you would certainly not know the appropriate amount of damage. An experienced slip-and-fall accident lawyer would be able to estimate the value of your case after speaking with you and reviewing your situation. 

When the facts and the law are on your side, you have more power than you think when you are dealing with the insurance company. The insurance company does not get to dictate anything. They can offer you a settlement, but you are free to choose whether to accept it. If the settlement does not properly compensate you for your injuries, you should reject it and make them try harder. 

Hire an Experienced Attorney to Maximize Your Settlement

The number one way that you can put yourself in a position to get more money is to hire an experienced slip-and-fall lawyer. Even if the insurance company is offering you a settlement, they will use every trick possible to try to minimize what they pay you. They will downplay your injuries and try to drag the negotiations out to outfox you. In a slip-and-fall case, knowledge is power, and that is exactly what you will get when you retain an attorney. You will not only know how much money you can get, but you will also know how to beat the insurance company at its own game.

Call a Northern California Slip and Fall Injury Lawyer Today

If you have been injured in a fall, you may be entitled to substantial financial compensation. First, you need to prove that someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, and that is not always an easy task. It could become easier when you hire a lawyer to represent you. Call the Cartwright Law Firm today at (415) 433-0444 or reach out to us online to schedule your free initial consultation. You owe us nothing unless we are able to help you win your case.