Typically, a Lake County slip and fall lawyer works on a contingency basis, meaning you don’t pay for services unless you win your case. Hiring a slip and fall lawyer increases your chances of recovering total compensation for these types of accidents, but you might worry about the cost. Learning about what to expect when it comes to the cost of hiring a lawyer may help ease your mind when looking for representation.
You may be able to file a claim or lawsuit to recover compensation from liable individuals after a slip and fall accident. There are several types of damages that may result from these accidents, including medical bills and other financial losses that warrant compensation from responsible parties. An attorney can help you succeed in achieving financial recovery.
How Much Does a Slip and Fall Lawyer Cost in Lake County?
When considering the cost of a slip and fall lawyer, it’s important to understand what a contingency fee is and how it works, along with hourly wages.
Paying on a Contingency Fee Basis
Many slip and fall lawyers charge their clients using a contingency fee arrangement upon agreeing to represent them in these cases. Most personal injury attorneys, including those with a focus on slip and falls, use this fee arrangement as a means of recovering payment.
A contingency fee arrangement ensures that clients only need to pay if and when their attorneys successfully settle their cases. This system works for many attorneys and their clients, as clients don’t need to pay anything throughout a case, and they’ll only need to pay if they succeed. This arrangement also provides some certainty for clients, as they can rest easy knowing their attorney has a stake in winning their case.
Contingency fees are paid through a portion of the total settlement recovered from liable parties in your case. Then, you receive the remaining money left over in your settlement.
If you interview a slip and fall attorney, be sure to ask about the lawyer’s payment model. The attorney should clearly state what types of fees you can expect, including whether you’ll need to pay a contingency fee or an hourly rate.
Other Possible Expenses in a Slip and Fall Claim
In addition to contingency fees or hourly rates, there are other fees that attorneys may charge when building and settling a slip and fall case.
For example, your lawyer may need to charge you for:
- Obtaining evidence, such as police reports and medical records
- Filing fees for paperwork
- Hiring expert witnesses and other professionals to assist with the case
- Witness fees
- The costs of an investigation into the accident
- Depositions
Your attorney should be clear about any costs you might incur as he or she works for you. A good lawyer won’t leave you unpleasantly surprised with unexpected costs.
Types of Damages Available in Slip and Fall Cases
Knowing how and what to pay your attorney is crucial in a slip and fall case, as these incidents can result in substantial damages that lead to costs on your end. By recovering compensation with the help of a lawyer, you may be able to reduce the impact of the damages resulting from the slip and fall.
Like other types of personal injury cases, slip and fall accidents often result in various economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.
Economic Damages
One of the main types of damages in a slip and fall case is economic. Economic damages account for the monetary costs accumulated as the result of a slip and fall or other personal injury accident.
There are many expenses you may accrue because of a slip and fall accident, such as medical expenses, lost income, lost earning capacity, physical therapy, and property damage. Some extreme slip and fall cases could also result in a wrongful death, which comes with additional expenses like burial and funeral costs.
Non-economic Damages
Apart from economic damages, you may sustain non-economic costs. These damages involve the personal experience that slip and fall victims have because of their accidents.
Examples of these damages include physical pain, emotional and psychological distress, trauma, disfigurement, loss of consortium or companionship, and more. The death of a loved one resulting from a slip and fall accident may also lead to loss of support and other personal losses.
Punitive Damages
If the defendant in a slip and fall accident was egregiously negligent or had a malicious motive for intentionally causing injuries, plaintiffs may also be able to recover punitive damages. For example, a property owner may have left a hazard in place with the goal of causing a targeted accident, leading to serious or fatal injuries, potentially warranting punitive damages that intend to prevent a similar act from reoccurring.
Only the courts can award these damages as supplements to the compensatory economic and non-economic damages.
Potential Causes of Slip and Fall Injuries
There are many types of hazards that can lead to a slip and fall accident in any type of private, public, or commercial space. Knowing what they are may help prevent a potential accident or determine if a previous fall resulted from someone’s negligence or malicious intent.
Some of the hazards that may cause slip and falls include:
- Poor lighting conditions that create low visibility in areas such as stairwells
- Uneven flooring that can cause people to trip, slip, and fall
- Cracks in asphalt, cement, and other surfaces that cause accidents
- Cables, wires, and other tripping hazards left in place
- Ice or snow
- Leaks and spills
If a property owner or employee at a business, left any of these hazards in place and should have been aware of and addressed them, victims who sustain injuries because of these hazards may have grounds for a slip and fall case.
How to Win a Slip and Fall Accident Case
To win your slip and fall injury case, you must be able to prove multiple items using sufficient evidence.
Specifically, you must prove that the property owner owed you a duty of care, that this individual breached the duty of care, that this breach led to a slip and fall accident and subsequent injuries, and that you suffered specific financial losses because of this accident.
Taking the following steps may help prove each of these elements and show that a liable party negligently caused an accident and damages:
Seek Medical Attention
Soon after a slip and fall accident, it’s best to seek a professional assessment from a qualified medical provider. This professional can formally diagnose your injuries and begin developing medical records and bills that could show the extent of your injuries. The sooner you seek treatment, the easier it will be to tie the injuries to the initial accident.
Collecting Additional Evidence
In addition to medical records, bills, and receipts, you can collect other types of evidence to support your case against liable parties.
You may work with a lawyer to help collect any evidence you’re unable to obtain on your own. Specific pieces of evidence in these cases may include photo and video evidence showing how the accident occurred and the resulting impact of the fall, witness statements from people present at the accident scene, and previous incident reports at the same property that show a pattern of negligence.
Don’t Wait to File
Claims and lawsuits have specific time limits in place within which individuals can seek compensation. This time limit is referred to as the statute of limitations, and it applies to slip and fall accident claims. The amount of time you have to file your claim according to the statute of limitation will vary depending on the state where the accident occurred and whether exceptions apply. For instance, you have two years to file a lawsuit for a slip and fall case in Illinois.
If you don’t file your slip and fall claim before the statute of limitations expires, you may be unable to recover compensation from liable parties.
Speak With an Attorney
To better determine whether you have a slip and fall case, it’s best to speak with a personal injury lawyer. The right lawyer will be able to review the facts of your case and determine the options available to you when it comes to recovering compensation.
When initially speaking with a lawyer in a consultation, find out how much he or she will cost based on the fees he or she charges. This information can help you figure out how much you’ll need to spend on representation in a prospective case.
