Although they might appear benign and taken lightly, the fact remains that slip and fall accidents have a very high risk of serious physical harm and even death. Millions of people are hospitalized each year due to injuries resulting from these accidents. Besides prolonged periods of hospitalization, these types of accidents can also leave victims with hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential costs of medical treatments and future medical or surgical therapy.

Keeping in mind the potential severity and extent of slip and fall injuries, it is natural to wonder if and how you will receive compensation for your damages. If you or your loved one were involved in such an accident at someone’s property and the accident resulted from the negligence of the property owner, you might be able to pursue legal action against the property owner to recover some or all of the damages resulting from the accident. This article takes a closer look at how much you can potentially receive through your slip and fall lawsuit.

Costs of Medical Treatment

One of the main components of your overall slip and fall damages are your medical bills, including costs of medical treatment, diagnostic tests, medications, physical or occupational therapy, and costs of future treatments. Since all your medical bills are a part of the official hospital record, it is hard to deny this crucial piece of physical evidence in a court of law. At the very least, you should expect your medical bills to be covered by your lawsuit settlement.

Lost Wages

If your slip and fall injury causes you to remain hospitalized or lose one or more of your normal body functions, you might be entitled to compensation for the loss of income caused by the accident. Compensation for your lost wages is determined by your present income and covers the period from the accident until your complete physical recovery from the injuries.

Emotional Pain and Suffering

Although there is no physical way to measure pain and suffering, any damage caused to your emotional/mental health by your incident is also included in your potential legal compensation. Your costs of medical treatment and severity of physical injuries determine the multiplier which is used to calculate and assign a numerical value to the emotional pain and suffering resulting from the accident.

Since this multiplier is based on the extent and severity of physical injuries, the amount of compensation awarded for pain and suffering can vary from case to case. The value of your pain and suffering multiplier is high if you suffer from a permanent loss of bodily function due to a slip and fall accident. On the other hand, physical injuries that have a faster recovery rate have a lower pain and suffering multiplier.

Incidental Expenses

Incidental expenses include miscellaneous expenses that arise due to these types of accidents and related injury. For example, expenses like subway tickets, gas bills, etc., are all part of your recoverable incidental expenses since they result directly or indirectly.

Consulting a Lawyer

One of the most important things to do after any slip and fall accident is to consult a lawyer who has ample experience in handling slip and fall accidents. A competent lawyer is your best chance to recover damages resulting from such an incident.