Legal Question in Personal Injury in Illinois
Hi! I was recently injured at a major local supermarket when I slipped over a puddle of clear liquid. I was sent to emergency room and incurred over $5000 medical bills. The supermarket acknowledges negligence and agreed to either 1) pay my out-of-pocket medical expenses and that's it; or 2)have me file medical insurance and they pay a $1000 for my suffering. I am certainly not attempting to get rich over the incidence as someone will suggest. But I do want a fair compensation to my severe pains and possibly long-term effects.
The puddle was there for at least 10-15 min judging from people's discussion I overheard. But the supermarket now claims that it's not there for that long. They further argued that if I didn't see the puddle, they may not see that either, hence their negligence is minimal.
My question is how should I proceed. How to evaluate and quantify the extent of suffering? I am majorly worrying about possible long-term effects, which is hard to demonstrate.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Slip and fall cases are among the most difficult injury cases. Many injury lawyers do not even handle them. I suggest that you find one who does, and hire him or her.
Hi. I am sorry to hear about the accident and the injury that you incurred. Regardless of the store's position, if the puddle was in fact there for 10-15 mins., and, particularly, if there were additional witnesses that can attest to the fact that the puddle was there, there is negligence on the part of the store and they should be liable for not only your outstanding medical expenses, but also for additional amounts for pain and suffering and future treatment.
I am an Illinois and Missouri licensed attorney that focuses my practice on personal injury and workers' compensation claims and have handled numerous slip and fall cases.
It appears that the insurance company may be trying to get you to accept a lower amount before the extent of your injury is fully assessed and your likely future medical treatment needs are determined.
In order to determine an appropriate estimate of the amount of compensation that you should be entitled to, it would be necessary to ascertain more details regarding the type of injury, the type of treatment, whether you had pre-existing injuries, and the likely duration of future medical care.
For your convenience, I can be reached via e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (314) 471-5585. Thank you.
NOTE: This answer is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. The use of this site does not create an attorney-client privilege or relationship between the user and the attorney responding.
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