You may want to have an idea of what your losses are worth before you take a truck accident claim to civil court. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as an average settlement for a slip and fall case. Each case has its own value based on its affiliated losses.
That said, Vaughan & Vaughan knows how to help you estimate the value of your case before you go to court. You can work with our personal injury lawyers in Indiana to establish your accident-related losses and their affiliated dollar values. Our team can then contribute hard evidence to your case to better argue for your right to post-accident support.
Breaking Down the Average Settlement For Slip and Fall Cases
When you ask, “What’s the average settlement for slip and fall accidents?” you strive to better understand what kind of financial reward you might get for pursuing legal action against a liable party. That makes sense. Knowing the possible return on investment associated with your legal case can keep your spirits buoyed as you negotiate or go to trial.
Unfortunately, the answer to that question isn’t always straightforward. There isn’t an average settlement for slip and fall cases. There is, however, legal precedent. You can look at other survivors’ case records and determine how they were compensated based on their circumstances.
In turn, you can use that data to speculate about the value of your losses. That said, speculating without an attorney present can leave you more confused than not. Fortunately, the slip and fall accident lawyers in Indiana offer free case evaluations to accident survivors. We can help you outline the nature of your accident and, subsequently, the damages you deserve.
Calculating Your Possible Slip and Fall Settlement
Your right to slip and fall accident damages depends on your ability to bring forward evidence of those losses’ economic value. With that in mind, it’s important to document the scene of a slip and fall accident before a liable party can clear away evidence of their negligence. The more data you and your attorney have, the easier it can be to argue for your right to damages.
The evidence you bring forward to prove your right to damages can include the following:
- Photos of your accident scene
- Before and after images comparing damaged property or accident-related injuries
- Video footage of your accident
- Statements from bystanders
- Speculation about fault from police reports, if applicable
- Statements from insurance providers
- Input from expert witnesses, including accident recreationists
Note that you need to submit a completed civil claim within Indiana’s statute of limitations, outlined in Indiana Code section 34-11-2-4, if you want a court to seriously consider your right to a settlement.
The aforementioned evidence can most often help you prove your right to the following slip and fall accident damages:
- Slip and fall emergency care
- Long-term medical expenses
- Pain management and physical therapy
- Lost opportunities to return to work
- Lost opportunities to work in a particular field
- Emotional distress
- Stress
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Property restoration and replacement
Arguing for Your Right to a Slip and Fall Settlement
There’s no one way to argue for your right to damages after a slip and fall accident. You can work with Vaughan & Vaughan’s slip and fall accident attorneys to determine which path, negotiations, or a trial best suits your interests.
Negotiations
You do not have to take a slip and fall case to trial to win a settlement. You can instead request that an Indiana slip and fall lawyer arrange private, out-of-court negotiations with the party liable for your losses. These negotiations can still see both you and the liable party rely on your attorneys to discuss what compensation you deserve for your losses.
Slip and fall settlement negotiations tend to resolve more quickly than traditional trials. That said, negotiations don’t work for everyone. Liable parties who refuse to acknowledge their role in your slip and fall accident may refuse to cooperate with you entirely or offer you insufficient settlements.
There may come a point, in other words, where you have no other choice but to take your case to civil court if you want a serious and reasonable settlement offer. Fortunately, Indiana attorneys know how to protect your well-being throughout these negotiations and can prepare you accordingly.
Going to Court
You can choose to go straight to civil court after a slip and fall accident, or you can go to court after negotiations fail. Either way, the process may see you undergo the following steps:
- Mediation
- Slip and fall discovery
- Opening statements
- Examination of witnesses and evidence
- Cross-examination
- Closing statements
- Deliberation and verdict
This process can take a considerable amount of time. The good news, however, is that the process gets overseen by an experienced judge and a jury of your peers. This means that it becomes much harder for a liable party to bully you out of the settlement you deserve.
You can discuss whether or not going to court will help your case when you first meet with Indiana’s personal injury lawyers.
You Can Discuss Your Right to a Slip and Fall Settlement With Vaughan & Vaughan
You can work with Vaughan & Vaughan’s slip and fall accident lawyers to estimate the total value of the personal injury case you want to bring before Indiana’s civil judges. Our team can do the math and ensure that every damage you request is backed by hard evidence. You, in turn, can count on our team to advocate for your right to the largest possible settlement.
Vaughan & Vaughan brings several combined decades of personal injury experience to Indiana’s slip and fall accident cases. For more information about how our team can help you recover from your losses, you can book a case consultation. Our contingency fee agreements mean that our team won’t get paid unless we win your case.
