Slip-and-Fall Accidents

What Are the Damages You Can Seek?

Yellow sign – caution. Wet floor is in the supermarket against the background of blurry products standing on the shelves

Slip-and-fall accidents, whether while visiting a business or performing your job in the workplace, are serious cases. You have the right to seek damage compensation, whether your injury results in something as minor as a bruise or as severe as a head injury or displaced hip. 

Consult a slip-and-fall attorney if you find yourself in this unfortunate situation. Here is a thorough description of the damages that you can seek as a victim of this type of incident. Besides compensation for physical injury, you can also seek compensation for damages to your emotional or mental health. 

Also, Consult a Premises Liability Lawyer

Besides consulting a slip-and-fall attorney, you should also discuss your case with a premises liability lawyer to reassure that the property which caused your accident is within liable grounds for covering costs related to your injury. From there, they can conduct a proper investigation. 

For example, the business would be liable if a puddle of water was in the produce section of your local grocery store and you slipped on it while a yellow caution sign was not displayed. This would be because they did not warn you of the floor’s condition while you were browsing that aisle. 

Monetary Damages

Depending on the severity of your injury, there could be a few or many costs related to your rehabilitation. You can be reimbursed for the following monetary damages that are a result of your slip-and-fall accident:

• Any medical bills that were necessary for healing the injury. 
• Wage reimbursement if you had to miss work. 
• Cost of therapy to rehabilitate your injury, if applicable. 
• The price you had to pay for assistive equipment such as a wheelchair, crutches, walker, etcetera. 
• The cost of transportation service (or gas money you spend) to travel to and from appointments. 
• Any prescription costs related to the injury. 
• The cost of hiring a home assistant if your injuries are that severe. 

Non-Monetary Damages

Monetary damages are the bulk of compensation you seek for your slip-and-fall accident. Such an injury can be life-changing, depending on its severity. An unexpected occurrence can become a daily inconvenience as you recuperate. 

You can seek non-monetary damages to receive an additional payout for your case, such as if you suffered any emotional distress during this recuperation time. Especially if you displaced your hip or had another severe injury that hinders you from not being as independent as you used to be, it can cause a reduction in your quality of life. 

Report to your attorney any constant physical pain you are feeling. To solidify your case, keep a daily journal or record/videotape yourself talking about your day and how it has become more difficult to be mobile because of the injury you suffered. The anguish you are experiencing will be considered when calculating the damages you qualify from the offending party. 

The Types of Slips and Fall Accidents

We already gave an example of one slip-and-fall accident as a puddle of water in a grocery store. Here are other types of slip-and-fall accidents and the possible places in which they can occur:

• Tripping on a pothole or a broken pavement while navigating the streets as a pedestrian. 
• Malfunctioned handrails or ones not there to support going down a flight of stairs. 
• Poor lighting in your workplace or a business can cause a fall from impaired sight. 
• Uneven steps within a flight of stairs in a parking garage or other place of business. 
• Any spill not cleaned up and without proper caution signage displayed. 

Final Thoughts

Slip-and-fall accidents can cause serious injuries that strip you of your independence and cause unnecessary pain and suffering. If you have suffered from a slip-and-fall accident, you can and should receive compensation for monetary and non-monetary damages due to the accident.