How Much Should the Settlement Be After a Spinal Cord Injury?

After a spinal cord injury, the value of a settlement is of ultimate importance. Spinal cord injuries can be the tragic result of a sudden slip and fall, car accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, or pedestrian accident. The impact on the spine can compress, sever, or cause serious nerve damage that affects the ability to move the body normally, or leads to ongoing pain.

Damage to the spinal cord is a very frightening situation, and even with advances in medical science, it is often impossible to recover full motion, with the injured person facing a life of challenges. In these cases, a settlement must reflect the impact on the victim’s quality of life. Cases vary from minor to the most severe, with the person paralyzed, either paraplegia (lower limbs) or quadriplegia (all four limbs).

Spinal cord injuries are among the highest-value personal injury cases, with settlements in the millions. The high cost of treatment, the need for ongoing medical and nursing care, along with the reduced quality of life all come into play in the value of the settlement pursued.

How Much is a Spinal Cord Injury Case Worth?

When valuing a spinal cord injury case, the degree of the injuries, along with the impact on the quality of life are factors that require the help of respected medical and financial experts. When a spinal cord injury was the result of an act of negligence, an insurance claim or lawsuit will be filed to seek to recover compensation. The amount pursued by your personal injury lawyer must include the full scope of the financial, personal, and emotional losses:

• The cost of medical care, past, present and future
• Lost wages and lost earning capacity
• The cost of rehabilitation, at-home care, medications, specialized equipment
• Loss of quality of life
• Pain and suffering

The Fight for Justice in Spinal Cord Injury Cases

You might believe that a person who suffers a spinal cord injury will be treated fairly by an insurance company. Unfortunately, insurance company defense lawyers work overtime to find details that could lower the amount of a claim, including identifying any preexisting medical conditions. They understand that the victim needs compensation as soon as possible and will take advantage of this fact by offering much less than the case warrants. With the medical bills associated with the injury frequently costing a million dollars or more, with added yearly costs in the hundreds of thousands, it is vital that the settlement recovered is fair, and reflects the long-term impact on the life of the injured person.

Valuing Your Spinal Cord Injury Case

Attorney Gil Panzer and his legal team call upon professional resources to assist in valuing a spinal cord injury claim. Medical experts, financial experts, and other professionals assist us in the valuation of a spinal cord injury case. Our goal is to ensure our clients live the best quality of life possible, with the financial resources to pay for the best medical care, or treatments that may become available in the future, and can provide for themselves and their families.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

The value of a settlement varies, based on the extent of the injuries. For some people suffering a minor spinal cord injury, a full recovery may be possible. In other cases, the victim may never again enjoy the quality of life they had before the accident.

The types of spinal cord injuries include “complete” and “incomplete.” Complete refers to injuries in which the nerves below the point of impact are unable to send messages to the brain, leaving the body paralyzed from that point downwards. “Incomplete” refers to the nerves retaining some ability to send messages, retaining some motion to the limbs and body below the point of the injury.

Spinal cord injuries are graded on a scale developed by the American Spinal Injury Association, or “ASIA” scale.

• ASIA A: The most severe level of injury, with no sensory or motor function retained.
• ASIA B: Complete motor function lost.
• ASIA C: Some motor function is retained, without the ability to recover full range of motion.
• ASIA D: More than half of the muscle groups can be restored to motion.
• ASIA E: No long-term damage, full motion restored.

Get the Legal Help You Need: Panzer Law

There is no question that you need a personal injury lawyer to assist you to pursue fair compensation. When your case is handled by Panzer Law, you can expect personal attention, genuine compassionate service, from a lawyer who will pursue the maximum possible for you. Call today for a free case evaluation – we are here for you.