If you slip and fall on someone’s property in Illinois and they were negligent, you can file a slip and fall lawsuit for compensation. How much can you receive in this litigation? It depends on many factors, so keep reading about how slip-and-fall compensation is calculated. If you need legal assistance with your case, our Chicago slip and fall lawyer at I Am Calling My Lawyer can help you today.
According to Illinois law, you may be eligible for compensation in a slip-and-fall case if the property owner was negligent. If you and your attorney prove it was their fault, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.
Determining how much you should receive for slip and fall injuries means totaling your economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages refers to compensation for your ‘hard expenses,’ including medical bills, co-pays, rehabilitation expenses, and any other out-of-pocket costs. You also may receive other economic damages, such as for your lost earnings – both in the past and future. These damages can be proven with medical records, receipts, paystubs, etc.
Next, you and your attorney need to determine your non-economic damages, which are your pain and suffering. Pain and suffering damages are not absolute and are open to interpretation. How much you can receive depends on many factors, including:
Generally, the worse your injuries and the longer the recovery, the more you may receive for pain and suffering compensation. However, your attorney has experience with slip-and-fall injuries and may provide a reasonable estimate of what your pain and suffering is worth.
There is no exact way to determine your pain and suffering compensation. However, a common method is to use a multiplier between 1-5, with 1 being the least amount of pain and suffering and 5 being the most. For example, when you have a minor slip-and-fall injury, such as a strained back, the insurance company may attempt to assign a 1 or 2 to your pain and suffering (your attorney will likely argue for more).
But if your injury is a slipped or ruptured disc, more pain is often involved, so your pain could be valued at a 3 or 4. Whatever the number, it would be multiplied by your economic damages. For example, if your economic damages for the injury are $10,000 and your pain is assigned a 2, you would receive a $20,000 settlement. A 5 multiplier is reserved for the most severe and painful injuries, including those that are permanent, such as paralysis.
Were you injured in a slip-and-fall accident in Chicago? If a property or business owner was negligent, you could be given compensation for the injuries. Please speak to our Chicago slip and fall lawyer at I Am Calling My Lawyer at (888)) 841-4878. We could help you receive compensation for your injuries and losses.
1990 E. Algonquin Rd., Ste 230
Schaumburg, IL 60173
