Typically slip and fall accidents result in more minor injuries, such as scrapes, lacerations, or simple broken bones. However, there are instances in which a person sustains serious injuries after a slip and fall accident. One recent example of this was the sixteen foot fall Joshua Jaeger, a Montgomery, Illinois resident, took in 2009 which resulted in a broken femur and soft tissue injury to his back.

Because the injuries that Jaeger sustained drastically altered his life, preventing him from returning to work at a door repair service company and causing enduring pain, he enlisted the support of personal injury lawyer Joshua Weisburg to help him pursue action against the city of Elmhurst, the party he was holding responsible for his accident and subsequent injuries. While Jaeger was on a platform inspecting a broken spring on a garage door, the platform fell, causing Jaeger’s debilitating injuries. Jaeger and his attorney Weisburg alleged that, if not for a city employee’s negligence, the platform would not have fallen and, thus, the city should be responsible for the repercussions and losses the accident caused.

Following an initial settlement offering of $650,000, Jaeger and Weisburg took the claim to a county court, where the Dupage County jury eventually found the city responsible and awarded Jaeger $4.16 million, a landmark award for the type of injuries that Jaeger sustained. $1.86 million was given for loss of future wages, $1.3 million for Jaeger’s pain and suffering, and $1 million for loss of quality of life.

Like Jaeger, many slip and fall accident victims are compensated for lost current and future earnings, pain and suffering, and lost or decreased quality of life. Additionally, many also receive compensation for medical bills, therapy or rehabilitation costs, loss of companionship, and more. And, although not everyone qualifies to seek compensation in a personal injury claim, it’s always advisable to speak with a personal injury lawyer about any legal options available.