Optimizing Recoveries For A Spinal Cord Injury
When you’re facing large medical bills after a severe injury, you may wonder what’s the optimal settlement for a spinal cord injury. People who have suffered a spinal injury in a car accident or other type of accident are facing a potentially catastrophic injury. If you have been affected by such an injury, you will likely want a better idea about possible spinal injury settlement amounts.
Serious spine injuries can lead to partial or total paralysis, as well as many other physical problems and challenges that can last for life. Sadly, spinal injuries affect tens of thousands of Americans each year. National statistics show that 17,000 Americans suffer spinal injuries per year, and some of them are due to the negligence of another party.
DAMAGES IN A SPINAL INJURY SETTLEMENT
Damages that you can receive in a spinal injury settlement include the following:
- Economic damages for medical bills, which can run into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars long term for some serious spinal injuries. Other economic damages are lost earnings that encompass the past, present and future.
- Other potential damages for your spinal injury could be for your emotional pain and suffering, inability to enjoy life and past hobbies, and loss of an intimate relationship with a partner.
WHAT IS AN OPTIMAL SPINAL INJURY SETTLEMENT?
As you know, a spinal injury is often very serious, and the amounts of compensation involved could be high. Every case is different, but let’s use an example. If you suffer a spinal injury in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, you might have $50,000 in medical bills now and lost wages of $20,000. If it is a serious spinal injury that involves long-term disability, you could be entitled to much more compensation.
Insurance companies often use a ‘multiplier’ to determine a fair spinal injury settlement amount. For a more ‘minor’ spinal injury that involves partial or even entire recovery eventually, the insurance company could use a multiplier of 3 or 4. So, if the multiplier is a 3, you may see a settlement amount of $210,000. If the multiplier is a 4 because you are not able to fully recover, the spinal injury settlement amount may be $280,000.
Whether you receive the higher or lower figure depends on many factors. Your spinal injury attorney will need to present strong, convincing evidence that the other person or entity engaged in negligent behavior that resulted in your injury. If you can do that, it is possible the insurance company will want to settle at a higher figure. If your evidence is not as strong, or if you were partially responsible for the injury yourself, the insurance company may offer a lower amount or choose to go to trial.
The firm handles cases involving catastrophic personal injuries and deaths. Our work spans three decades of handling airplane and helicopter crashes, truck and car accidents, oilfield and construction accidents, and other devastating accidents. We try lawsuits throughout the country in both federal and state courts and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients. To date, we have handled or tried cases in 47 states, read more about our attorneys and firm.