How this personal injury calculator works
This tool applies the same multiplier framework as the auto-accident estimator, then layers in the one variable that dominates premises cases: liability proof.
General = Specials × Severity Multiplier
Gross = [Specials + General] × Liability-Strength Factor
Net = Gross × (1 − Fault %) × (1 ± 15% range)
In an auto claim, police reports and traffic statutes usually settle liability. In a fall, you must prove the owner created the hazard, or knew or should have known about it — the "notice" element. Insurers price that evidentiary burden directly: identical injuries settle for materially less against a property owner than against a negligent driver, which is why the liability-strength factor appears before the fault reduction in the formula.
What slip and fall claims typically settle for
Working ranges, assuming clear liability and completed treatment: soft-tissue falls (sprain, contusion, short PT course) commonly resolve at $10,000–$30,000; fracture cases (wrist, hip, ankle) routinely reach $50,000–$100,000+; surgical or permanently impairing injuries price substantially higher and almost always require counsel. These are liability-clear figures — discounted proof pulls every range left.
The notice element — why proof drives price
- Actual notice: an incident report, a prior complaint, a manager who saw the spill. The strongest position; multipliers run fully.
- Constructive notice: the hazard existed long enough that reasonable inspection would have caught it (a tracked-through puddle, a long-broken step). Provable, but insurers contest duration aggressively.
- No notice: a freshly-created hazard with no prior history. The weakest position — owner liability is genuinely disputable, and offers reflect it.
Photographs taken at the scene, the incident report, and witness names move a claim between these three buckets — which is why the single most valuable thing done after a fall happens in the first ten minutes, before leaving the property.
Comparative fault in premises cases
Defense arguments in fall litigation follow a standard pattern: you were looking at your phone, you wore unsuitable footwear, the hazard was open and obvious, you entered a closed area. In comparative-negligence states those arguments reduce your recovery by the assigned percentage; in the four pure contributory jurisdictions (AL, MD, NC, VA, plus D.C.) they can bar recovery entirely. The fault slider models that reduction directly — set it honestly, because the defense certainly will.
Mistakes that shrink a premises claim
- No incident report: leaving without documenting the event lets the owner dispute that it happened at all.
- Delaying treatment: a two-week gap before the first doctor visit reads as "not actually hurt."
- Social media: a single photo of physical activity contradicting claimed limitations is worth thousands to the defense.
- Giving a recorded statement early: "I'm fine, just embarrassed" becomes the anchor against every later symptom.