There’s no standard value for slip and fall injury settlements in New York City. Some slip and fall cases might settle for a few thousand dollars, while others could resolve at trial for millions. It’ll ultimately come down to facts that are highly specific to each individual case – including the types of injuries the victim suffers, whether those injuries cause a permanent disability, the impact the injuries have on the victim’s ability to work, as well as the type of legal claim the victim pursues.
When you’ve suffered injuries in a slip and fall accident in New York City, New York, you’ll have one opportunity to fight for compensation. Working with an experienced NYC slip and fall accident lawyer can help ensure that you’re able to win your legal claim and maximize your recovery.
5 Factors That Can Influence the Value of Your Slip and Fall Settlement
While every case is different, there are a number of factors that will always be relevant when calculating what a slip and fall claim might be worth.
Severity of Injuries
As a general rule, the types of injuries and their severity will have the greatest overall impact on the potential value of a personal injury settlement or jury award. The more serious your injuries, the more you can expect them to affect your life physically, financially, and emotionally.
For example, the lifetime costs of a severe spinal cord injury sustained in a slip and fall can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. On the other hand, recovering from and/or living with a few broken bones might cost a few thousand dollars, depending on the type of medical care that’s warranted. Broken bones are likely to heal, but severe spinal cord injuries can last a lifetime, which means the impact will have far greater consequences across your life.
Changes in Your Ability to Work
Depending on your line of work, any injury can potentially keep you from doing your job after a slip and fall. The more your ability to work is disrupted, the more of an impact it’ll have on your income and ability to support yourself. Even if you have some Paid Time Off (PTO) saved up, it will only offer limited relief. You also shouldn’t be forced to dip into your PTO or vacation time to deal with a slip and fall injury that wasn’t your fault.
The more your immediate and long-term ability to work and generate an income is affected, the more your slip and fall claim might be worth.
Whether You Got Hurt in a Slip and Fall Accident at Work
Many slip and fall accidents happen in the workplace. If you slip, trip, or fall while working in New York, there’s a good chance you’ll qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ compensation can offer limited economic relief to alleviate costs related to your medical care and offset a fraction of your lost wages. While benefits are available regardless of shared fault, you waive the right to sue your employer for additional compensation.
So, workers’ compensation can offer an immediate financial lifeline, but its benefits won’t cover the full extent of your slip and fall damages.
Shared Responsibility for Your Slip and Fall Accident
Sharing the blame for your slip-and-fall accident can limit your ability to recover compensation. New York’s pure comparative negligence rule applies to civil tort actions.
The more responsibility you share for your slip and fall, the less your personal injury case will be worth.
Sharing 80 percent of the blame for a slip and fall would mean a reduction in damages by 80 percent. If your slip and fall damages totaled $100,000, your maximum take-home award would be capped at $20,000. However, shared fault rules don’t apply to claims for workers’ compensation. Benefits can be paid even if you’re wholly to blame for a slip and fall accident at work.
Changes in Your Quality of Life
It’s not just the financial implications of a slip and fall accident that matter – it’s the way your slip and fall injuries affect your life in other ways, too. Through a civil lawsuit, New York slip and fall victims can request non-economic damages to help them cope with harder-to-value experiences like pain and suffering, loss of consortium, emotional distress, chronic physical pain, and disfigurement.
The more you suffer because of your slip and fall injuries, and the more your quality of life is adversely impacted, the more you can potentially expect to recover when your civil personal injury case is settled or resolved at trial.
The Platta Law Firm Can Help You Maximize Your NYC Slip and Fall Accident Settlement
There’s no average slip and fall settlement. Every case is different. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that you’re made whole after an unexpected slip and fall on someone else’s property in NYC. Whether you’re injured in a construction accident or because of hazardous conditions in a grocery store or on a sidewalk, The Platta Law Firm can offer the experienced, knowledgeable legal representation you deserve.
Our NYC slip and fall lawyers have 150+ years of experience handling high-stakes cases like yours. We’re recognized as leaders in civil litigation because of our unparalleled commitment to client justice and multi-million-dollar track record of success. When you need to get compensation for a slip and fall accident, we’re the respected litigators you’ll want in your corner. We represent clients throughout the greater New York City metropolitan area, so don’t hesitate to contact our Manhattan law office at (212) 514-5100 for a free consultation.
