Following a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, caused by the premises owner’s fault or negligence, injured clients are confused when the at-fault party’s insurance-company sometimes offers an immediate settlement.

The at-fault party’s insurance-company may contact them or their family-members directly in the hospital or home at a time when they’re still trying to cope with the confusion, anxiety and pain of the accident.

The stress resulting from rising medical and rehabilitation costs and loss of income or wage-earning capacity due to injuries can have a severe impact on financial status. Hence, a call from a seemingly concerned, empathetic claims-adjuster may seem like a blessing.

However, it’s wise to consult an experienced Sault Ste. Marie personal injury lawyer who regularly handles slip and fall accident cases before communicating with at-fault parties, their insurers or legal representatives.

95% of personal injury claims are settled out-of-court, but this doesn’t mean that you are compelled to take the first offer you receive.

There are many injuries that cannot be fully evaluated immediately. The complete extent and seriousness of the injury and its impact on your life may be felt after a lapse of time. Hence, it’s important to get all the information before you think of settlement.

On the other hand, personal injury suits/claims have stringent limitation periods within which the process must be started. These time-limits vary according to whether the at-fault party is a private individual or public body/government/municipality. The circumstances of the case also have a bearing.

An experienced Sault Ste. Marie personal injury lawyer can deal with the complex medical, legal and insurance issues involved, ensure that the paperwork is filed correctly and within the prescribed deadlines and also ensure that your interests are kept uppermost throughout the procedure.

How Are Slip and Fall Injury Claims Valued? 

Each case is unique and hence, the individual factors and circumstances in it have to be analyzed and taken into account while evaluating how much a claim is worth.

Clients are always anxious to know:

• How long the process will take
• How much compensation they can expect

It’s not easy to give an exact figure, but there are broad guidelines that can be used to get a ball-park figure to work with. This depends on:

• The extent of injury/damages caused by the accident
• Whether a jury likely to find the at-fault party liable

The extent of injury/damage consists of several components. The financial aspect consists of medical and rehabilitation expenditure based on actuals. Future costs are also easy to predict if a detailed life-plan is worked out with the help of qualified authorized professional experts.

However there are intangibles like “pain and suffering” which are highly subjective. Injuries affect people in different ways, emotionally and psychologically. An active, busy, healthy, outdoorsy person, with a wide social circle can find sudden immobility/disability devastating.

Similarly, if the circumstances clearly show that the at-fault party’s fault or negligence caused the accident, a jury can easily pronounce liability.

Experienced Sault Ste. Marie personal injury lawyers can provide a swift, genuine and comprehensive assessment of your claim and advise you on the way forward.