Maryland Slip and Fall Settlement Calculator
Get a rough estimate of what a Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland'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.
Maryland Premises-Liability Rules
Open-and-obvious hazards. In Maryland, an open-and-obvious hazard can defeat the claim (it negates the owner's duty). Maryland still treats an open-and-obvious hazard as a DUTY question, not merely a comparative-fault factor — so it can defeat the claim as a matter of law. A possessor of land has no duty to warn an invitee of a danger that is open, obvious, and present, because the invitee has a duty to look and see what is around them. The leading authorities are Casper v. Charles F. Smith & Son, Inc., 316 Md. 573, 560 A.2d 1130 (1989), and Tennant v. Shoppers Food Warehouse Md. Corp., 115 Md. App. 381, 693 A.2d 370 (1997). The doctrine was refined (and made harder to win on summary judgment) in Six Flags America, L.P. v. Gonzalez-Perdomo, 248 Md. App. 569 (2020), which held the hazard must be one the invitee would actually perceive as dangerous — mere visibility of the condition is not enough. Maryland has NOT followed the modern trend (e.g., Michigan's Kandil-Elsayed, 2023) of demoting open-and-obvious to a comparative-fault factor; it remains a duty-defeating defense, reinforced by Maryland's strict contributory-negligence and assumption-of-risk rules.
Ice and snow. Maryland's duty for ice and snow is split or conditional — it can depend on factors like an ongoing storm, the type of property, or whether the owner worsened a natural accumulation. Maryland applies a limited natural-accumulation rule. For PUBLIC SIDEWALKS abutting private property, an owner/occupant owes no duty to pedestrians to remove the natural accumulation of snow and ice, and is not liable even where a local ordinance requires clearing — unless the owner's own negligence adds a new element of danger beyond natural forces (the created-hazard exception). On a possessor's OWN premises, however, an invitee is owed ordinary reasonable care, so the no-duty sidewalk rule does not blanket all ice/snow claims — hence "mixed." In practice recovery is sharply limited by Maryland's pure contributory negligence and assumption-of-risk doctrines: a plaintiff who knowingly walks on visible ice is often barred entirely.
Public property. If you fell on government property, Maryland requires a formal notice of claim — often within about 365 days, much shorter than the normal deadline. For a fall on LOCAL government property (county, city, school board, sheriff's office), the Local Government Tort Claims Act requires written notice of the claim — stating the time, place, and cause of injury — within 1 year (365 days) after the injury, given to the local government's corporate authorities. Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 5-304(b). (The deadline was lengthened from 180 days to 1 year effective for claims arising on or after Oct. 1, 2015.) For claims against the STATE itself, the Maryland Tort Claims Act requires written notice to the State Treasurer within 1 year of the occurrence, Md. Code, State Government Article § 12-106.
Your Fault & the Deadline to File
Maryland follows pure contributory negligence. Being even 1% at fault — for example, walking past a warning sign — can bar your entire claim. This is one of the harshest rules in the country, which is why fault is so heavily contested here.
Maryland is one of only a handful of pure-contributory-negligence jurisdictions (AL, MD, NC, VA, DC). Under this common-law doctrine, if the injured plaintiff is even 1% at fault for the accident, recovery is completely barred. The Maryland Court of Appeals expressly reaffirmed the rule in Coleman v. Soccer Association of Columbia, 432 Md. 679 (2013), declining to adopt comparative negligence and deferring to the General Assembly. For a settlement estimator this is the single most consequential factor: any meaningful evidence of plaintiff fault drives the claim's value toward zero. A narrow "last clear chance" doctrine can sometimes revive an otherwise-barred plaintiff's claim.
Maryland generally requires a slip-and-fall lawsuit to be filed within 3 years of the fall (the statute of limitations). Md. Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings § 5-101: "A civil action at law shall be filed within three years from the date it accrues unless another provision of the Code provides a different period." The 3-year clock generally runs from the date of injury, subject to the discovery rule (when plaintiff knew or should have known of the injury). Claims against state/local government entities have separate, shorter notice requirements under the Maryland Tort Claims Act and Local Government Tort Claims Act. Source: Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-304 (Local Government Tort Claims Act, 1-year notice); Md. Code, State Gov't § 12-106 (State Tort Claims Act, 1-year notice); Casper v. Charles F. Smith & Son, Inc., 316 Md. 573 (1989); Tennant v. Shoppers Food Warehouse Md. Corp., 115 Md. App. 381 (1997); Six Flags America, L.P. v. Gonzalez-Perdomo, 248 Md. App. 569 (2020)..
- Maryland is a pure contributory-negligence state: a slip-and-fall plaintiff who is even 1% at fault — e.g., for walking on a visible/known hazard — generally recovers nothing. This, plus assumption of risk, is the dominant obstacle in MD premises cases.
- Open-and-obvious hazards remain a duty-defeating defense: a possessor has no duty to warn of a danger that is open, obvious, and present (Casper; Tennant). Six Flags America v. Gonzalez-Perdomo (2020) tightened it — the danger, not just the condition, must be one the invitee would perceive with ordinary care.
- Natural accumulation: an owner owes no duty to clear naturally accumulated snow/ice from the PUBLIC sidewalk abutting their land (even if a local ordinance requires shoveling) unless they negligently create a new hazard. Reasonable-care duty still applies to ice/snow on the owner's own premises.
- Personal-injury lawsuits must be filed within 3 years (Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101), but a fall on government property triggers a much earlier notice-of-claim step.
- Government claims: notice within 1 year to the local government under the LGTCA (§ 5-304), or to the State Treasurer under the State Tort Claims Act (State Gov't § 12-106). Missing the notice deadline can bar an otherwise valid claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is my Maryland 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 Maryland's pure contributory negligence 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 Maryland 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 Maryland, an open-and-obvious hazard can defeat the claim (it negates the owner's duty). 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 Maryland?
It depends. Maryland's duty for ice and snow is split or conditional — it can turn on factors like an ongoing storm, the property type, or whether the owner made a natural accumulation worse. This is general information, not legal advice — consult a Maryland attorney.
How long do I have to file in Maryland?
Generally 3 years from the fall. If you fell on public property, a much shorter notice-of-claim deadline (around 365 days) applies first. Md. Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings § 5-101: "A civil action at law shall be filed within three years from the date it accrues unless another provision of the Code provides a different period." The 3-year clock generally runs from the date of injury, subject to the discovery rule (when plaintiff knew or should have known of the injury). Claims against state/local government entities have separate, shorter notice requirements under the Maryland Tort Claims Act and Local Government Tort Claims Act.
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 Maryland 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.