Chicago Slip and Fall Lawyer Tells How To Win Compensation After A Fall Down Injury

Chicago Slip and Fall Lawyer Gives You the "Fall Down" 411 If You Have Questions About a Slip and Fall Injury in Chicago.

Let's talk about how to make sure you win your Chicago fall down injury case and how to:

• Get your medical paid
• Make sure your case is resolved fast
• Get your lost wages paid
• Increase the amount you get the the most possible.

As you can imagine I talk to lots of injured people. And the number one misconception that people have is that slip and fall cases are easy to win. I talk to people who tell me that because they fell on someone else’s property, that automatically means that they should win their case.

Honestly, I wish that were true.

That would make my life a lot easier.   Here's what you need to know.

What is a Good Settlement Amount For a Slip and Fall In Illinois?  What Is MY Slip and Fall Case Worth?

If you had a slip and fall in Chicago and you want to know what your case is worth, you are in the right place.

I created the Injury "Case Settlement Calculator" so people can get an idea of case value without talking to a Chicago slip and fall lawyer.  

It is 100% free, and take about 15 seconds. You can click on it below.

What is the Average Settlement For A Slip And Fall Accident in Chicago?

Many lawyers do not want to handle slip and fall cases. They can be complicated.

But like all injury cases, it is important to have a lawyer who knows how to handle them.  They are quite different from Workers Comp cases or car accident cases.

Factor One: How Bad Was The Property Owner and Manager's Conduct in Causing Your Chicago Slip and Fall?

In Illinois, we compare what you did wrong (if anything) to what the property owner and or manager did wrong.

So the worse their conduct or the more negligent, the more value your case has.  Any Chicago slip and fall attorney will tell you that. 

But if a Judge or Jury finds that you were more than 50% responsible for your own fall, you could lose your case and get no money at all.

That's why slip and call cases have to be pout together the right way, right from the start.

Factor Two: How Big Are Your Injuries?

Almost everyone knows that the bigger your injury, the more money your case is worth. 

And, if you have a lot of medical treatment and big medical bills and a lot of time missed from work, those factors make your case bigger too.

Factor Three: Are Your Injuries Permanent?

Believe it or not, a major value in slip and fall cases in Chicago is whether you have permanent problems. For example, if you broke your leg but it healed perfectly, you have a valuable case. But if you broke your leg and have a permanent limp, the case has much more value because you have to live with that limp for the rest of your life.

Of course these are just guidelines. The best to learn about your case value and your situation is to get a free consult with a lawyer.  You should talk to the best slip and fall lawyer in Chicago to get answers regarding your situation and your case value.

Do I Need a Chicago Slip and Fall Lawyer For My Slip And Fall Case?

I would say unquestionably that consulting with a slip and fall lawyer or a law firm of lawyers who are known as the best slip and fall attorneys is probably the best advice you could ever get. 

That's because slip and fall cases are much more complicated than your average injury case.

For example, in a car accident case we only have to prove three things. 

• First, we have to prove that the other driver was negligent. 
• Second, we have to prove that you got hurt.
• Third, we have to prove that the other drivers mistake caused your injury. 

Seems pretty simple, right? 

Well, in a Chicago slip and fall case, we have to prove a lot more than that. 

• First, we have to provethat you fell or got hurt on someone else's property.  
• Second, we have to prove your injuries.
• Third, we have to prove that the property owner had an unreasonably dangerous condition on their property.
• Fourth, we have to prove that the property owner or building manager created the problem or knew about the problem, or knew about the problem for such a long time that they could've fixed no problem. 

We also have to make sure that your testimony is "clean". That means that you do not say anything that would lead a judge or jury to believe that the accident was your fault if it wasn't.  Insurance Defense lawyers are experts at getting you to say things that hurt your slip and fall case, without you even knowing it.

Believe it or not, proving that a condition on property was "unreasonably dangerous" is not that easy. Imagine if what caused you to slip at a grocery store was water on the floor. Veryy common kind of case.  Jurors and Judges are resistant to answering the question "Was the water unreasonably dangerous" with a "Yes".  If you can't prove that, you automatically lose your case.

Most Chicago slip and fall lawyers will prefer a case where a client falls in a giant hole or a porch collapses or construction work is being done and a wall collapses or machinery hurts someone. That's because those cases are easier to prove.  They can also lead to major injuries.

One thing is for sure: of any kind of injury case, speaking with an experienced attorney considered the best Chicago slip and fall lawyer is a good move. I offer a free consultation and you can call me any day, any time to set up your free consultation.  Give me a call and I'd be happy to answer your questions.

What Does a Chicago Slip and Fall Lawyer Charge?

First thing to know is that there is no fee of any kind unless we win your case.

That means you never pay any money "out of pocket". And the lawyer only gets paid a fee if they win your case or settle the case in an amount you agreed to.

Slip and fall lawyers even advance case costs. I certainly do.

That means if we have to get photos or work permits or medical records and things of that nature, I advance the money to put your case together for you. If we lose the case, I lose the money. I never ask clients to pay me any money unless we win the case. And the good thing is the lawyer only gets paid after you get paid.

So if you're short on money, there's no reason to let that stop you from talking to a lawyer.  In my years of experience, I have found that the earlier an injured person talks to a lawyer in a slip and fall case in Chicago, the better it is for their case outcome. 

In other words, the earlier a lawyer can dig into the case, the more evidence in better evidence he or she can get for your case. This makes your case settle faster and gets you more money.

The other thing to think about is that lawyers give a free consultation. That means it is 100% free and 100% no obligation to call the lawyer, talk to the lawyer, tell them what happened. Ask every question you can think of. It's all free.

You only hire the lawyer if you want to.

I would say it's important to hire a lawyer who is nice to you on the telephone and let you talk and seems knowledgeable. If you have bad feelings towards the lawyer you speak with, you should maybe talk to a different lawyer. But hiring a Chicago slip and fall lawyer is very important because those cases are tough.  You want every advantage.

What Should I Do After A Slip and Fall In Chicago?

The smartest thing to do is speak with a lawyer. But here is a list of things to do that can really help you and make sure that your cases settles quickly for maximum compensation.  In fact, faling to do these things can really hurt your chances to win a Chicago slip and fall case.

See A Doctor. Go the the Emeregncy Room to get checked out and follow up with your family doctor or clinic if you are in pain or have injuries.  It is better for your health and necessary to your case so we can prove the injuries.

FIle a Report. Make a report if your fall at a store or business or at work. Get a copy of the report.

Photos and Lease and Property Management. If you fall at a rental property or multi-unit building, the property manager usually has to post a sign saying who they are in the lobby. Take a photo.  Also, take photos of the areas wherer you fell and what caused you to fall.  If it is a rental property, get a copy of the lease.

Make a diary. Write down what happened and note your injuries and pain.  Make notes about where you go to the doctor, what the doctor says, and the struggles you have doing your daily activities.  If you do not write it down, you will have a hard time remembering.

Don’t give a recoded statement.  Insurance companies love to call and commit you to a story before you have even had time to think. Do not give a stattment, and instead, get a consultation with an attorney of your own. And do not sign any papers they send you until you show them to your lawyer.

Do not post on social media like Facebook.  Keep your fall, your injuries and especially discussion of your law suit completely private. They can see and get your socail media accounts, so do not jeopardize your case.  Loose lips sink ships.

Free Consult with a Chicago slip and fall lawyer. The earlier you call, the more the lawyer can help you be getting your evidence together and making sure you do not fall into any insurance company traps.

The truth is that Chicago slip and fall cases are actually very difficult to prove at trial for Chicago slip and fall attorneys.

Court statistics say that about only one in five slip and fall cases result in a money verdict for the injured person.  That’s a 20% chance of winning your case in front of a jury.  If your case went to trial 10 times, you would win twice and lose eight times.

Now, on the other hand, I have had substantial success in my practice with slip and fall cases. But you have to have your eyes open about how much time, money, and work has to go into these cases in order to make them successful.

To prove a slip and fall case, we have to prove:

• Where you fell
• What caused you to fall
• How long the problem existed
• That the thing that caused you to fall was unreasonably dangerous
• That you were distracted so you failed to protect yourself from the thing that caused you to fall…

See?  I told you it was complicated. And any good slip and fall injury lawyer Chicago will tell you the came.

Getting photos of where you fell, and showing the condition it was in when you fell. 

In these fall down cases, a photos is worth 1,000 words.  And, if you can prove by testimony or photos how long the problem was there, then you are building a strong fall down injury case.

You have to have your ducks in a row about how you say you’re fall occurred because insurance companies defend these cases by saying that the person who fell wasn’t paying enough attention to where they were walking.

The sad part is that juries believe this argument, and that’s why these cases are so hard to prove. Not impossible, just harder than for example a car accident case.

The second big misconception about slip and fall settlement amounts is that injury cases all settle AUTOMATICALLY for about three times the medical bills. 

Again, I wish that were true. Some cases settle for a lot more than that. Other cases settle for less.   And these days, it is almost always a fight with the insurance company.

Why would that be the case?  I’ll tell you.

Insurance companies resolve cases based on fear:  fear of what a jury will do with the case. So if you have a very strong case with very severe injuries, your case is likely to settle for a lot of money.

Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t see slip and fall cases as cases which are strong. That’s because they know the statistics: only one in four or one in five wins in Court. So many insurance companies often don’t even attempt to settle slip and fall cases. They would rather take them to court and win.

But an experienced lawyer who knows how to work up these cases before going to court can not only encourage the insurance company to come to the settlement table but also put all the evidence together in such a way that put some fear into the insurance company. It would be nice if insurance companies gave the same slip and fall settlement amounts to everybody, whether they have a lawyer or not. But the truth is, how your case is handled and whether it is put together the right way makes all the difference. That's why having an expereienced slip and fall injury lawyer chicago is so important.

The final thing I want to tell you is that it is actually harder to settle the small injury in a slip and fall case then a large injury.

If you have very serious injuries in a large amount of doctor bills, it is easier to scare the insurance company into sitting down at the settlement table and offering a reasonable amount of money.  That isn't always the case, but it is a factor to consider in a Chicago slip and fall injury.

Very small injuries have to settle for very little money. Major injuries are limited only by the skill of the lawyer presenting the case.

If you’ve been hurt in a slip and fall in Chicago and you still have questions, please give me a call.  I offer a free, no obligation consultation to people who need to speak with a Chicago slip and fall lawyer.