What is the Average Settlement for a Back Injury?

Back Pain - The Jackson Law Group

In addition to being painful, back injuries are also expensive to suffer through. Many of our clients hope to receive maximum compensation for their injuries, but what is a realistic amount you can expect? At The Jackson Law Group, we know how to analyze a back injury and estimate its settlement value. In this article, we look at some of the most important considerations.

How Much Did Your Medical Care Cost?

One reason it makes no sense to talk about an “average” settlement is that back injuries vary widely. A moderate back sprain might only cost $100 to treat. You might only need some ibuprofen and ice bags to reduce swelling. After you heal in a few weeks, you won’t have any other costs.

By contrast, a spinal cord injury could cost millions of dollars over a lifetime. In fact, one study revealed just how expensive these injuries were:

1. Paraplegia averaged $567,011 for the first year and then averaged roughly $75,000 each year after that.

2. Tetraplegia with a low site of injury cost $840,676 for the first year and an average of about $124,000 after that.

3. High tetraplegia cost $1,163,425 the first year and then roughly $200,000 for each year after that.

You should receive compensation to cover the cost of past, present, and future medical care, including surgery and rehabilitation.

Did You Have to Miss Work?

An accident victim can also receive compensation for lost income or wages if their injuries kept them away from work. A back sprain could take 2-4 weeks to heal, and you might miss work for the entire time.

Conversely, a spinal column injury could keep you out of work for years. Even if you can return, you might need to take a different and lower-paying job, which means you have diminished earning capacity.

How Painful or Disruptive is Your Injury?

Our clients also receive compensation for pain and suffering and similar intangible losses. There is no receipt or bill which shows how much you are entitled to. Instead, we look at how much your life has changed by the injury.

A moderate back sprain could keep you in bed for a couple weeks. That type of inconvenience and suffering is probably worth only a few thousand dollars. By contrast, a major spinal column injury could lead to paralysis or loss of sensation. Many people are unable to participate in hobbies or even go out in public following this type of accident. These catastrophic injuries cause much more suffering, and most people would claim they are worth more.

Let Us Analyze Your Case

The above are some general principles for understanding how we value back injury settlements. You might receive more than the typical accident victim or less. Other relevant factors not discussed here include whether the defendant has the money to pay fair compensation. For this with spinal cord damage, few defendants can pay millions of dollars.

Contact The Jackson Law Group today. Our back injury attorney can review your case, answer your questions, and begin a personal injury claim.