2020 Slip & Fall Cases

No two slip and fall cases are exactly the same. When evaluating claims, insurance companies and courts look at a multitude of factors, the most important of which is how the victim's life has been shaped by the accident. You might assume that a slip and fall injury isn't serious, but many people end up suffering everything from a brain injury to emotional distress. 

Slip and fall settlements can help you pay off medical expenses, give you the compensation and time you need to recover from an injury and help you make up for lost wages. Many people underestimate the far-reaching impacts of a slip and fall accident. Although slip and fall lawsuit settlement amounts can vary, you need to know what you can anticipate when you are filing a claim. 

Understanding this process can help you to build a stronger case particularly when you retain the services of an experienced personal injury law firm to support you. The more information and evidence your attorney has the easier it is for them to fight for the maximum slip and fall case settlement amount in court or in negotiations.

Every case and injury is unique which means that you will need to share the specifics of your case with your attorney and average amounts should not always be used to judge your potential settlement total. For minor injuries, settlement amounts of between $10,000 and $50,000 are relatively common. The more injuries you have sustained and the more severe these injuries these amounts can go much higher. Your attorney will sit down with you to evaluate the evidence in your slip and fall injury case to determine what might influence your outcome.

Factors to evaluate can include pain and suffering, expenses associated with your recovery, expected future monetary damages, lost wages and the total amount of your medical bills. It's important to be prepared when you come to the office for this initial consultation because it will help your lawyer understand what they need to know about filing a case. Understanding slip and fall settlements in 2020 can help you see what recent courts or insurance companies have decided when bringing forward these kinds of cases.

Cases all over the country settled outside of court or in jury verdicts that recognized the severity of slip and fall injuries. Personal injury cases filed by lawyers aggressively sought damage recovery in injury settlements to help the victim move on with their life and get the medical treatment needed for maximum recovery. Here are some examples of claims from the year. 

Knowing outcomes of slip and fall settlements 2020 can give you an idea of what judges and juries are thinking in 2021 and beyond.

Florida Walmart Premises Liability Claim

One personal injury law firm obtained a $689,000 slip and fall settlement in 2020 for a Florida accident victim who sustained a back injury when they slipped and fell at Walmart. With over 5,000 stores all over the United States and an average size of over 100,000 sq. ft. it is easy to understand how someone could slip and fall and sustain significant injuries in an accident at Walmart. The primary facet of these cases is in determining the store or owner's liability for preventing slip and fall injuries. This can include both removing hazards and posting warning signs when someone is likely to slip and fall.

Florida Private School Claim

A private school located in a strip mall was the location of another massive 2020 slip and fall settlement. The victim ended up recovering $120,000 as a result of her injuries after walking through a parking lot that had tile removed on the mall walkway. The tile removal meant that there was only one path that visitors could use to get to their car. In this case, it was the involvement of an experienced personal injury lawyer that made the case that much more compelling by gathering the necessary evidence to explain what happened.

Cat Litter Lumbar Injury Case in Los Angeles 

An early 2020 verdict came down against Ralph's Grocery when a victim fell on cat litter that had spilled into the aisle. The plaintiff, a musician, received a $2.5 million award in court. Although the grocery store's policy was to sweep the floor once an hour, another customer opened the bag of cat litter and left it on the floor where the victim came into contact with it. Even though the defense claimed that the victim staged the fall or was not really injured and that the litter had only been on the floor for 24 minutes, the jury awarded both economic and non-economic damages to the victim. 

$1.9 Million New Jersey Lawsuit for a Parking Lot Accident 

The New Jersey Herald reported that a restaurant accident ended in a $1.9 million slip and fall settlement in 2020 when the plaintiff sustained critical injuries to a spine and shoulders after slipping in the parking lot of the restaurant in 2007. Untreated ice was the cause of his slip and fall leading to numerous disc herniations in his lower back and spinal fusion surgery to implant hardware. In these circumstances when a victim has sustained critical injuries, the support of an experienced personal injury attorney is necessary for determining the full scope of potential compensation. 

Since the top five states for slip and fall claims that those accused claimed to be questionable includes Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and California, it is even more important for a victim with injuries in this state to show that they are taking their case seriously by retaining proper personal injury law firm representation.

Unknown Substance Slip and Fall at Walmart Grocery Store

In January 2020 a $572,988 verdict was handed down in a case involving a woman who suffered permanent injuries after falling on an unknown substance in a Walmart grocery aisle. The store was found to be 100% liable for the accident in this slip and fall settlement from 2020.

$7 Million Target Lawsuit with Injuries Caused by Door

An elderly woman obtained a $7 million settlement against a Target store in Illinois when a swinging door struck her in the head and knocked her to the ground. She was hospitalized for the incident which occurred in 2007 and had difficulty processing thoughts and words as a result. She was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and had to go through the excavation of the hematoma and a craniotomy as a result. The door manufacturer was also named as a defendant in this lawsuit. 

If you have already suffered serious injuries and have grounds for a personal injury claim against a property owner, this information should be shared directly with a lawyer as soon as possible. Specifics matter, such as whether any signage was present, whether the hazard would have been a danger to others, and the severity of your injuries. To get a better sense of what your case might look like, meet with an attorney at a law firm where there's plenty of experience with slip and fall cases. At Morgan & Morgan, you can get a free, no-risk case evaluation for more information.

It's a known tactic for insurance companies to come to the table with a low initial settlement offer in the hopes that the case will be resolved quickly. In these cases, the offer of "some money now" can be very tempting, but you should never sign any paperwork or agree to anything until your lawyer has run the calculations. Once you agree to a settlement amount, if you don't get enough money to cover your future medical bills, you're out of luck. Make sure you have a solid picture of what your life will look like so that you can determine a fair number with the help of your lawyer. 

Slip and fall accidents can and do happen in many locations. This is why all business and property owners should take extra care in removing hazards or placing warning signs around obstacles. Unsafe property conditions, however, are often found on sidewalks, in shopping malls, at playgrounds, in parking lots, and even in building lobbies and stairwells. It's not just about the flooring, either. Poor lighting or inadequate handrails can both increase the risk of a slip and fall accident in just about any location.