Don’t let those (highly annoying) personal injury commercials with the Casio keyboard jingles fool you: slip-and-fall clients are the red-headed stepchildren of the personal injury world.
1- It’s All About Car Accidents 🚘
If you don’t show up with a smashed bumper and whiplash, get ready to feel like a recently converted vegan at a Texas BBQ. Every ad, every intake form, every, “How did you get hurt?” conversation is written with drivers in mind. If you slipped on a grape, you’re basically invisible. If you choked on a grape during a car crash? Then you’re gold.
2- They Are Harder to Prove 🧐
Your friends, family, and even your adopted cat are side-eyeing you.
“Did someone see you fall? Was it caught on camera? Was the floor actually wet or were you just born clumsy? Did you trip over your own feet? Have you ever fallen before? Are you sure you weren’t texting, sleepwalking, or just uncoordinated?”
They will have zero sympathy and a lot of, “You should sue!” followed by, “Wait, you’re actually suing?”
Be prepared for your story to be scrutinized like a RICO case. The defense will try to paint you as the world’s clumsiest human.
3- Injuries Usually Aren’t Severe 🧑🏽🦼➡️
Car crash? “Let’s get you an MRI and a limo.” Slip-and-fall? “Put some ice on it, Grandpa.” Nobody cares about your bruised tailbone and your pain scale except you and your chiropractor, and even he’s starting to zone out.
4- It Is Harder to Receive Pre-Settlement Payments 💵
Car crash clients can easily snag those five-figure “get paid now, worry later” settlement advances. Slip-and-fall clients? Enjoy your 18 months of ramen noodles and DIY manicures. Banks and finance companies act like you’ve already lost.
5- Even Your Attorney May Not Be That Excited 😬
You’ll get great service, but if your lawyer could trade you for a rear-end collision client with a totaled Tesla, they would. But you’re “family” now, so at least enjoy the holiday cards.
Pro Tip:
Consider ordering a “World’s Most Disbelieved Plaintiff” coffee mug for your Formica countertops.