Salt Lake City Slip and Fall Lawyer

Salt Lake City Slip and Fall Client Story

On a snowy day in December not long ago, 68-year-old Bob Laskin went on a first date. It wasn’t his first date ever, but having been widowed after almost 50 years of marriage, it may as well have been.

He did okay on his own for the first two years after Audrey passed. He’d always been a man of routine; his daughter Elise liked to joke, “If it’s Tuesday, it must be Brussels sprouts!” Between his chores and hobbies, he was sufficiently occupied, even if he wasn’t ecstatic. Plenty to do around the house and with the grandkids.

When his daughter Elise’s husband moved the family to Minnesota for his work, though, Bob found himself wandering the house looking for things to fix. No more “honey-do” lists. Audrey was a pro at those. She had this long, narrow pad with little bees and flowers in the margins, and the words, “Honey, do” curled around a honey-laden beehive.

Bob could accept the big things he’d lost when his wife died. Had to. It had taken him a long time, but he’d gone through all the grieving stages and thought he’d come out pretty well. It was the little things, though, that would get to him. He’d see an “old guy” sitting alone on a bench at the mall, waiting for his wife to finish shopping. Bob had begun to sit beside them and strike up a conversation. They’d laugh about the wait. And if the guy complained, Bob would smile sadly and tell them to enjoy the little things, even sitting on a bench in the mall waiting for your wife to come bustling out with a shopping bag and a big smile. “Best seat in the house,” he’d say quietly.

Bob read a lot to stay occupied; he’d always been a reader. These days, he marked his pages with an old slip of paper, yellow with age. It was long and narrow with bees on it, and his wife’s lovely cursive listed chores for him to accomplish.

He was sit-in in his quiet house looking at the bookmark again when his daughter called from the Twin Cities. As they caught up, she told Bob she’d created an online profile for him on a senior’s dating site. She assured him it was trustworthy and that she’d already set it to only receive messages from people within driving distance of Salt Lake City.

That’s how Bob met Darlene. She was widowed, like him, and looking for a friend to share movies and the occasional meal. They discovered they had a lot in common, including having read every novel in John Sandford’s “Prey” series and volunteering at the animal shelter. They found it hard to believe they hadn’t yet run into each other.

Bob and Darlene began communicating through messages on the dating site, then moved to email. After another month, they began talking on the phone, more than happy to take it slow. After a while, Bob’s day didn’t feel complete without checking in with his friend Darlene. They’d been talking for almost a year when Bob took a chance.

“How about a movie?” he asked, bracing for a polite excuse.

Darlene surprised him, happily accepting his invitation. As usual, they agreed on a film effortlessly and he drove through a light snowfall across town to pick her up.

The actual meeting felt more like a happy reunion than a first encounter. They marveled at how it felt as if they’d known each other forever.

They even shared inside jokes from eleven months of steady communication. The snow began coming down harder as they parked and walked into the movie theater. It had been a snowy winter, and there were still three inches on the ground from earlier snows. A theater employee was shoveled out front as they entered the lobby.

Two hours later, Bob and Darlene reemerged in the lobby, laughing as they talked about the movie.

A glance through the tall lobby windows revealed a glowing soft pink night sky that only snow can bring. It was still falling; two more inches had piled up since they’d entered the theater.

“Why don’t you wait here, Darlene, I’ll bring the car around,” Bob said with a smile.

He left the shelter of the lobby, crossing the entry tiles to the parking lot.

That’s when he slipped on a thick layer of ice beneath the fresh, unshoveled snow. It was so slick that Bob’s feet went completely out from under him. He flew into the air and landed hard, bruising his tailbone and slamming the back of his head on the ground.

Bob woke up in the hospital to find his daughter beside him. She told him he’d sustained a traumatic brain injury from the fall and a bruised tailbone. “You really gave us a scare, Dad,” she said, taking his hand. He’d been unconscious for eighteen hours.

Bob was kept in the hospital for the next three weeks as he began to heal. The doctors told him he may need to go on to a rehabilitation facility for a month after discharge before returning home.

The first week in the hospital, Bob endured severe headaches and ringing in his ears. His speech was slurred and his balance was off. The doctors said with luck his symptoms would be temporary, but only time would tell.

Elise reluctantly left at the end of the week, promising to return in time for Christmas with the rest of the family. The day she left, she suggested Bob give us a call to discuss a slip and fall claim.

“I don’t know, El, I don’t feel all that up to it,” Bob responded. He’d been showing signs of depression as the days passed, and Elise was worried.

“Why don’t I call and arrange an appointment?” She suggested.

“Maybe I should wait until you and the kids come back,” Bob suggested.

“Darlene could help,” Elise ventured, smiling at his father’s surprise. “She’s a lovely lady, Dad. Who do you think sat with you until I arrived?

“Her kids are in town, but she told me she’d be back this afternoon to see how you’re doing, if that’s okay.”

Bob didn’t know what to say. He’d assumed his graceless acrobatics had put an end to the prospect of Darlene. He swallowed hard and nodded. So much to process, but he was sure he’d like to see Darlene again.

“Good,” said Elise, “It’s the only way I can bear to leave you here.” She kissed his cheek and turned to leave, stopping in the doorway to add, “In my humble opinion, Dad, Darlene’s a ‘keeper.’”

Elise called us and said her dad was in need of a free legal consultation. He wanted to know how much it would cost to hire our firm, how much his claim was worth, and how long it would take. We met Bob and Darlene the next day in his hospital room.

How much does it cost to hire a lawyer?

After everyone was settled, Bob found himself reluctant to ask about the cost of our services. Darlene, on the other hand, took up the thread for him without missing a beat.

“Before we get started, Bob should be made aware of what you charge for your services,” she said with an open and friendly smile.

Our lawyer explained that there would be no charge upfront. “Our firm works on a contingency-fee model, so we cover all case expenses— investigation and administration, as well as litigation, should your case require it.

“The contingency model means that we don’t get paid unless we bring your slip and fall claim to a successful resolution, Bob.”

How much is my claim worth?

“Well, okay,” Bob answered. “Can you tell me what a claim like this is worth?”

The lawyer said, “Unfortunately, there are no ‘typical’ claims. Every case is unique. This means before we can tell you the value of your claim, we’ll need to do an investigation. We’ll also need to get an accurate picture of your damages.

“We can begin the investigation right away, gathering evidence and speaking to witnesses. We’ll work your claim up as if it’s going all the way to court, to make sure we’re ready for anything.

“To discover your damages, we’ll need you to recover to ‘maximum medical improvement.’ This means, up to the point that your doctors consider you ‘back to normal.’

“If your former ‘normal’ is no longer attainable, then maximum medical improvement will be when you reach your ‘new normal.’ It’s also going to mean you’re through with surgeries, and we know what the future care of your injuries will look like.

“When you get to maximum medical improvement, we’ll know your damages and can tell you the value of your claim. Your job, Bob, is to channel all of your energy into recovery. Take your meds, do your occupational therapy and anything else the doctors recommend. Just don’t overdo it. Go as slow as you need to.”

How long will my claim take?

“Well, Bob said, patting Darlene’s hand, I’m sure this young lady will keep me in line.” Darlene gave him a big smile and took his hand.

“How long will my claim take?” Bob asked.

“That too is impossible to accurately predict at the outset,” the lawyer said. “Your case timeline is going to depend upon two factors. The first is how long it takes you to reach maximum medical improvement. We can only move as fast as the speed of your recovery, Bob. But it’s critical that you don’t rush it, either. Try to be patient and take the time you need.

“As I mentioned, when you reach maximum medical improvement, we’ll know your damages. At that point, we’ll send a demand letter to the insurance company. From then on, your timeline will depend on how they respond.

“If they’re reasonable about working out an acceptable settlement, we can wrap up your claim without delay. If they refuse to settle, however, we’ll take them in front of a jury.

“Please don’t worry about this possibility, though, Bob. Our firm has won many slip and fall claims via negotiation and in court. Whatever happens, we’ll be ready.

“In fact, the insurance company is bound to know who we are. It’s quite possible they’ll be agreeable to a settlement just to avoid facing us in the courtroom. That’s why no matter whom you hire, we recommend going with a personal injury trial attorney with experience winning slip and fall claims,” the lawyer said.

Bob was satisfied with the answers we gave him and hired our firm. Today, we are happy to say we got him six times what the insurance company initially offered.

Call Our Salt Lake City Slip and Fall Lawyer Today

Hopefully, the information on this page has provided clarity for you around your slip and fall claim. No two cases are exactly alike of course, and we invite you to call our Salt Lake City slip and fall lawyer to get answers about your specific claim today. You don’t have to figure out your claim alone while recovering from your injuries. Call as soon as you can and let us help.