Connecticut Slip and Fall Settlement Calculator
Get a rough estimate of what a Connecticut slip-and-fall claim might be worth. Enter your medical bills and losses and answer a few plain questions — the tool weighs how provable the owner's fault is and your share of fault. This is an estimate to understand the factors, not a prediction or an offer.
This is a rough estimate, not a prediction or an offer.
Slip-and-fall claims turn on proving the property owner was at fault — there is no formula that predicts a settlement. This shows the factors and a wide range to help you understand value. Consult a Connecticut premises-liability attorney about your case.
Enter the medical bills and losses to see an estimated range
The multiplier method is a rough starting point, not a guarantee. Slip-and-fall value depends most on proving the owner's fault and on the available insurance. An attorney is the only way to value your specific claim. This tool is not legal advice and RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm.
How the Estimate Works
No tool can predict a slip-and-fall settlement. This calculator applies the multiplier method (pain and suffering as a multiple of your medical bills), then does something the thin online calculators skip: it weighs how provable the owner's fault is. A spill the staff caused or knew about is worth far more than a hazard nobody can show the owner knew about. It then estimates your own comparative fault from a few plain questions and applies Connecticut's rules.
Proving the Owner Was at Fault
Premises liability has four parts: a dangerous condition existed, the owner knew or should have known about it, they failed to fix it or warn you, and that caused your injury. The middle part — notice — is where most slip-and-fall cases are won or lost. Strong evidence (an incident report, photos of the hazard, surveillance video, cleaning and maintenance logs, prior complaints) is what turns a claim from a token offer into real money. A posted warning sign or cone works against you: it shows the owner did warn, and it makes the hazard "open and obvious," shifting fault onto you.
Connecticut Premises-Liability Rules
Open-and-obvious hazards. In Connecticut, an open-and-obvious hazard is only a comparative-fault factor (it reduces, not bars). Connecticut does NOT treat an open-and-obvious hazard as an automatic bar to a premises claim. Its courts apply Restatement (Second) of Torts Section 343A: a possessor is not liable for harm from a known or obvious condition "unless the possessor should anticipate the harm despite such knowledge or obviousness." So an obvious danger does not negate the duty where the owner should foresee that an invitee will be injured anyway (for example, because attention is distracted or the advantage of encountering the hazard outweighs the apparent risk). A plaintiff's awareness of the hazard instead reduces recovery as comparative fault under CGS Section 52-572h (a 51% modified bar). Leading authority: Warren v. Stancliff, 157 Conn. 216 (1968), with the Section 343A invitee framework applied in the modern notice line, e.g. Kelly v. Stop & Shop, Inc., 281 Conn. 768 (2007). The net effect is comparative-fault treatment, not a no-duty bar.
Ice and snow. Connecticut applies an ordinary reasonable-care duty to ice and snow, so a poorly-maintained walkway can support a claim. Connecticut is NOT a no-duty natural-accumulation state. A landowner owes invitees an ordinary reasonable-care duty to remove dangerous accumulations of ice and snow. That duty is only temporarily suspended during an "ongoing storm": under Kraus v. Newton, 211 Conn. 191 (1989), in the absence of unusual circumstances a property owner may await the end of the storm and a reasonable time thereafter before clearing outside walks and steps. Ice that predates the current storm remains actionable. Because reasonable-care liability attaches (subject only to the storm-in-progress timing rule), this is "duty," not the Illinois/Ohio no-duty natural-accumulation rule.
Public property. If you fell on government property, Connecticut requires a formal notice of claim — often within about 90 days, much shorter than the normal deadline. For the most common municipal slip-and-fall vehicle — a defective municipal road, bridge, or public sidewalk — CGS Section 13a-149 requires written notice of the injury (with a general description, the cause, and the time and place) given to the town/city clerk (or a selectman) within 90 days of the injury; suit must then be brought within 2 years. Courts strictly construe this notice requirement. Other municipal routes have longer windows: indemnification claims tied to a negligent municipal employee under CGS Section 7-465 require written notice within 6 months; claims against the STATE itself must be presented to the Office of the Claims Commissioner within 1 year under CGS Section 4-148.
Your Fault & the Deadline to File
Connecticut follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). Your award is reduced by your share of fault, and you recover nothing once you are 51% or more at fault.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572h(b) allows a plaintiff to recover only if the plaintiff's negligence "was not greater than the combined negligence" of the defendant(s) (including settled/released parties). Because recovery is permitted at exactly 50% but barred once the plaintiff's fault is GREATER than 50% (i.e., 51% or more), Connecticut is a modified-comparative "51% bar" state. Below the bar, damages are diminished in proportion to the plaintiff's percentage of fault (§ 52-572h(b), (f)). Applies to negligence actions; recklessness/intentional torts are treated differently.
Connecticut generally requires a slip-and-fall lawsuit to be filed within 2 years of the fall (the statute of limitations). Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584: a personal-injury action for negligence (or reckless/wanton misconduct or malpractice) must be brought within TWO years from when the injury is first sustained or discovered (or reasonably should have been discovered), AND in no event more than THREE years from the date of the act or omission complained of (three-year statute of repose). Note: claims against the state/municipalities and wrongful-death (§ 52-555, 2 years from death, 5-year repose) have separate timing rules. Source: Open-and-obvious / duty: Restatement (Second) of Torts Section 343A as applied in Warren v. Stancliff, 157 Conn. 216 (1968) and Kelly v. Stop & Shop, Inc., 281 Conn. 768 (2007); comparative fault per CGS Section 52-572h. Ice/snow: Kraus v. Newton, 211 Conn. 191 (1989) (ongoing-storm doctrine). Personal-injury limitations: CGS Section 52-584 (2 years). Municipal notice: CGS Section 13a-149 (90 days; defective road/bridge/sidewalk); see also CGS Section 7-465 (6 months) and CGS Section 4-148 (1 year, claims against the State)..
- Connecticut is NOT a no-duty state for snow/ice: landowners owe ordinary reasonable care to clear hazards, but the 'ongoing storm' doctrine (Kraus v. Newton, 1989) suspends that duty until a reasonable time after the storm ends. Ice that predates the current storm stays actionable.
- An open-and-obvious hazard does not automatically defeat a Connecticut claim. Under Restatement Section 343A the owner can still be liable if it should have anticipated harm despite the obviousness; the plaintiff's awareness reduces (but does not bar) recovery as comparative fault.
- Connecticut is a modified-comparative (51% bar) state under CGS Section 52-572h — a plaintiff more than 50% at fault recovers nothing; otherwise damages are reduced by the plaintiff's share of fault.
- The personal-injury statute of limitations is 2 years from when the injury is sustained or reasonably discovered, with a 3-year outer repose (CGS Section 52-584).
- Government property falls have hard notice deadlines: 90 days for defective municipal roads/bridges/sidewalks (CGS Section 13a-149), 6 months for municipal-employee indemnification claims (CGS Section 7-465), and 1 year to present a claim against the State to the Office of the Claims Commissioner (CGS Section 4-148). Miss the notice and the claim can be dismissed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is my Connecticut slip and fall claim worth?
No one can tell you a number in advance, and slip-and-fall is harder than a car accident because you must prove the owner was at fault. A rough estimate adds your economic damages and a pain-and-suffering multiplier, discounts it by how provable the owner's fault is, and reduces it for your share of fault under Connecticut's modified comparative negligence (51% bar) rule. The available insurance also caps recovery — an attorney is the only way to value your specific case.
Does a "wet floor" sign hurt my Connecticut claim?
Yes, usually. A posted warning shows the owner satisfied part of their duty to warn and makes the hazard "open and obvious," which shifts fault onto you. In Connecticut, an open-and-obvious hazard is only a comparative-fault factor (it reduces, not bars). It reduces — and sometimes defeats — a claim, but not always (a hidden or inadequate sign may not help the owner).
Can I sue for a fall on ice or snow in Connecticut?
Connecticut applies an ordinary reasonable-care duty to ice and snow, so a poorly-maintained or unaddressed icy walkway can support a claim, subject to your own comparative fault. This is general information, not legal advice — consult a Connecticut attorney.
How long do I have to file in Connecticut?
Generally 2 years from the fall. If you fell on public property, a much shorter notice-of-claim deadline (around 90 days) applies first. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584: a personal-injury action for negligence (or reckless/wanton misconduct or malpractice) must be brought within TWO years from when the injury is first sustained or discovered (or reasonably should have been discovered), AND in no event more than THREE years from the date of the act or omission complained of (three-year statute of repose). Note: claims against the state/municipalities and wrongful-death (§ 52-555, 2 years from death, 5-year repose) have separate timing rules.
Is this calculator accurate?
It is a rough estimate to show the factors that drive value — not a prediction or an offer. Slip-and-fall outcomes vary enormously and depend on proving fault and on the available insurance. Treat any number here as a ballpark and consult a Connecticut attorney.
Disclaimer
This estimator is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a prediction of any outcome. RecordingLaw.com is not a law firm. The value of a slip-and-fall claim can only be assessed by a licensed attorney reviewing your specific facts.