A slip and fall on public or private property can seriously affect the quality of your life. From having to recover from the injury to missing work and trying to pay for medical costs, it can be a difficult time for anybody. That is why it is important to understand whether you are entitled to support in the form of a slip and fall compensation claim, and how much you could receive to help you get back on your feet.
In order to be eligible for a slip and fall claim you need to be able to prove a number of key factors in the event. The first is that your slip and fall accident has resulted in injury. Since you can only claim compensation on losses incurred from the injury, most often this would mean that it needs to be more serious than just a bruise and had an economic impact, like missing time off work and medical bills. The second criteria is that the fall had to have been caused by the negligence of the party responsible for ensuring the health and safety of the people in the area where the accident occurred. A good example of this would be a spill that was not cleaned in a reasonable amount of time.
If your injury was serious, caused you to incur significant financial cost and happened due to the negligence of a third party then there are a number of areas you can claim compensation.
Medical Expenses
Medical expenses for a slip and fall claim are one of the simpler sums to calculate. The victim is eligible to be reimbursed for past medical expenses, as well as future medical expenses.. It is important however to note that medical expenses that have already been paid by Centrelink or your private health insurer will need to be repaid out of the compensation.
Attendant Care
If your injury was severe you may require domestic assistance to help you with your everyday needs. If you paid for commercial attendant care, and the assistance is considered necessary and reasonable, then you can claim this money back as compensation. If the care was provided by family members then they may also be eligible for payment if they have been providing care for more than six hours per week, for longer than six months and the assistance was deemed necessary and due to the injury.
Loss of Earnings
If your accident has resulted in missing time from work or being unable to return to your job while you recover, then you may be entitled to compensation for loss of earnings.This can include both past and future earnings.
Pain & Suffering Payout
Pain and suffering compensation is a lump sum payout for serious injuries caused by a slip and fall accident. Not all victims will be eligible for pain and suffering compensation as it requires a significant impairment of 15%