Spinal cord injuries can be incredibly devastating, and they can be caused by almost any accident that can apply a significant amount of force or impact pressure on the spine. Spinal cord injuries can range from chronic nerve damage to more severe injuries like paralysis. These injuries can result in extensive hospital treatment that can leave victims with a mountain of debt that can directly hinder the recovery of a victim. For this reason, those who experience spinal cord damage as a result of an accident caused by the negligent actions of another, often ask how much their case is worth. Thankfully through the assistance of a spinal cord injury attorney, you can determine the value of your spinal cord injury lawsuit, and make a pursuit for compensation for your spinal cord injury. If you or a loved one has experienced a spinal cord injury as a result of the negligence or misconduct of another party, our qualified attorneys at Normandie Law Firm can help. At the top-rated Normandie Law Firm, our clients receive all the resources they need to seek compensation for the damages they deserve for their damages. If you have any questions after reading this article, please feel free to contact our law offices for a free consultation by one of our experienced lawyers.
You & Your Back Injuries
Clients who come into our law firm seeking for representation for their spinal cord injury case often ask a series of questions regarding the value of their case. In most cases, those who ask about the value of their case already have an attorney, however, are not satisfied with their service. Fortunately, at Normandie Law Firm we ensure that all of our clients receive the benefits they need to seek full compensation regardless if they already have an attorney or not. Some of these frequently asked questions regarding the value of the case are listed as follows:
- What is the average settlement value of a spinal injury case?
- What is the average recovery for a spinal cord injury?
- How much is a spinal cord injury case worth?
- What is the average compensation amount for a spinal cord injury case?
- What is the average value for being paralyzed in an accident?
- What is the average value of a paraplegia lawsuit?
- What are the settlement amounts for a quadriplegia lawsuit?
Determining the settlement amount, average, or value of a spinal cord injury is somewhat tricky. This is because, how much your case is worth depends on some factors that cannot be so easily generalized. Generalizing a value or average would do our clients a disservice as there is no way to tell for sure whether or not that average applies to your case. That is not to say that finding the average compensation for your paralysis case or spine injury case is impossible.
Your spinal injury lawsuit is valued at over $150,000 if the injuries are severe, prevent you from returning to work for some time, and result in various medical treatments. Your case could be worth more than $500,000 if you were left permanently injured or paralyzed and if the responsible party were especially negligent. If your spinal injury were minor and healed extremely quickly, you may not earn more than $50,000 for your lawsuit.
While the best way to determine the value of your case is to seek the assistance of an experienced attorney, you can also discern your case value by calculating the compensable damages of your case. Compensable damages, are the damages that you have suffered as a result of the accident. These compensable damages come in three different categories: economic damages, nonmonetary damages, and punitive damages.
Economic damages often make up a large majority of a case value. This is the case because economic damages are made up of values that are calculable. Some aspects that make up economic damages in a case are listed as follows:
Economic damages are listed as follows:
- Past & Future Medical Expenses: These are the costs that a victim must endure for the hospitalization of the initial injury and any further treatment needed in the future because of this injury. These expenses often make up a significant portion of a settlement value.
- Loss of Income: These compensatory damages meant to reimburse the victim for any wages lost from the injuries. This amount can be determined through a thorough examination of the victim’s salary history and often includes sick and vacation time.
- Loss of Potential Income: Sometimes injuries can be so severe that the victim may lose the ability to perform at the same level they had before their injuries. To determine this amount, a complicated formula is used that involves the examination of the victim’s projected earnings and the impact that the damages may have had on the victim’s ability to find and perform future work.
Noneconomic damages are little more challenging to calculate as they are made up of damages that are not easily definable. An attorney could best assist you in calculating these damages. However, we’ve compiled a list of the aspects of noneconomic damages below as a helpful reference:
- Pain and suffering: This damage is compensated to a victim based on the pain and suffering they endured from their injuries. This amount is often calculated by the use of a pain multiplier that has the victim identify their level of pain on a scale of one to ten.
- Emotional Distress: This form of compensation is offered to victims that have experienced any emotional trauma suffered due to the injuries. The compensable amount of emotional distress often varies from state to state.
- Loss of Consortium: Loss of consortium is often added to the value of your case when the injuries are so severe that the victim’s loved ones are deprived of a normal loving relationship and companionship
Last, but far from the least, are punitive damages. Punitive damages are added to the value of a case as to punish the defendant, and to deter them from engaging in the further conduct. Punitive damages are often difficult to fight for as the attorney must be able to prove the intent of the defendant, and lesser attorneys will often settle the case without pursuing these damages. However, our spinal cord injury attorneys at Normandie Law Firm are committed to ensuring that all of our clients receive all the compensation that they demand; punitive damages included. Only an expert attorney who has experience in back injury cases can successfully argue for them.
As a helpful reference to you and your case, we’ve compiled a list of some sample spinal cord injury lawsuit settlements:
- A case settled for $662,500 after a 45-year-old man sustained a neck injury after being rear-ended by another car. This led to a costly cervical fusion surgery.
- A case settled for $775,282 after a 26-year-old man was hit by a rental car that made an illegal U-turn. The plaintiff suffered a herniated disc which required two surgeries. He also sustained substantial damage to his vehicle.
- An electrician settled their case for $2,475,000 when he was injured on a job site by a falling pipe. This accident resulted in spinal surgery.
- A 60-year-old railroad worker settled their case for $450,000 after they fell from a boxcar, and suffered a soft tissue injury as well as significant wage loss eventually resulting in retirement from the railroad
- A plaintiff settled their case for $419,132 after they were rear-ended in an intersection. The force of the impact pushed the plaintiff’s vehicle into the stopped vehicle in front of them causing significant property and neck and upper back injuries.
Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is the bundle of nerves that run down the center of an individual’s back. This cord carries signals back and forth from the body and the brain; spinal cord injuries directly hinder this signal. A spinal cord injury is defined as damage that is inflicted to any part of the spinal cord or nerves at the end of the spinal canal. These injuries often cause permanent effects in strength, sensation, and some other body functions beneath the location of the injury. A spinal cord injury can be either complete or incomplete depending on the severity. Complete spinal cord injuries make it so that signals cannot be sent beneath the level of the injury. Complete spinal cord injuries often leave the victim paralyzed below the point of injury. Incomplete spinal cord injuries, on the other hand, involve a loss of sensations and movement beneath the point of injury. Spinal cord injuries often require immediate medical treatment as to avoid long-term effects. These treatments can involve medicine, braces or traction to stabilize the spine and surgery. Further treatment can include more medication and rehabilitation therapy. Listed below are some symptoms of a spinal cord injury:
- Degrees of paralysis including tetraplegia/quadriplegia and paraplegia
- Trouble breathing (need for a respirator)
- Problems with bladder or bowel function
- Frequent infections
- Bedsores
- Chronic pain
- Headaches
- Changes in personality or mood
- Loss of libido or sexual function
- Loss of fertility
- Nerve pain
- Chronic muscle pain
- Pneumonia
Spinal cord injuries can be caused by nearly any accident that delivers excess pressure or force to the spinal cord. Some common causes of spinal cord injuries that will be reviewed in this article are listed below:
- Car (Auto) Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Slip (trip) and fall accidents
- Medical or Surgical Malpractice
- Workplace Accidents
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of any of these accidents due to the negligence or misconduct of another you may be eligible to file a lawsuit to collect compensation for the damages that you have endured. When filing a lawsuit, it is incredibly important to understand the details that surround the accident that caused your injury. An accomplished attorney with expertise in in back injury lawsuits can give you more details.
Spinal Cord Injuries Caused By Auto Accidents
According to a report made by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA roughly 1.3 million people die every year as a result of road accidents, and an additional 20-50 million people are left seriously injured or disabled. Of these accidents, one of the largest contributors to auto accident disability is from spinal cord injuries. This is because the sure force caused by auto accidents, and the vulnerability of the spinal cord result in injuries that can damage the spine. In seeking compensation for auto accident spinal injury cases, it is important to understand key aspects that will either make or break your case. For instance, it is important to determine who was at-fault for the accident. Determining fault is somewhat challenging in auto accidents, and the process of finding who is at fault can vary from state to state. This is why it is vital that you collect suitable evidence immediately after your accident. This evidence can involve photographs, video footage, eyewitness testimonies, and police reports. On top of proving fault, the statute of limitations should be taken into account when filing your lawsuit. The statute of limitations is defined as the period in which a victim has to bring their case to court. If this lawsuit time limit is disregarded or missed, there is a high chance that the case will be dismissed from court entirely. Victims who ask what the average value is for their spinal cord injury case caused by an auto accident would best find assistance through the retention of a skilled attorney with experience handling back injury claims.
Spinal Cord Injuries Caused by Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents are notorious for causing truly devastating injuries to both the driver and rider onboard. Unlike personal use vehicles, motorcycles lack the safety measures to protect those onboard against a collision. Instead, the occupants are left exposed to the full force of an impact. According to a report made by the NHTSA, out of every 100,000 registered motorcycles, 72 get into serious accidents. These statistics are especially shocking once you take into account the vast number of people who rely on motorcycles as their primary form of transportation. Much like car accidents, motorcycle accidents can inflict an extreme amount of force and pressure against the spinal cord of an individual. When this is the case, the victim can be left with serious spinal cord damages that can cause irrecoverable paralysis. Fortunately, victims of motorcycle accident spinal cord injuries can pursue legal action if their accident was caused by the fault of another. They may also be able to seek compensation through a motorcycle insurance claim. Victims of motorcycle accidents who wonder, “how much is my case worth?” can best find an answer through the consultation of a lawyer experienced in dealing with motorcycle accident personal injury cases.
Spinal Cord Injuries Caused By Slip (Trip) and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall or trip and fall accidents can happen anywhere at any time, and they can result in truly devastating damages like a spinal cord injury. Slip and fall accidents are more likely to occur at restaurants more than anywhere else, but they can occur at any location where there is some floor hazard. Business owners, homeowners, and other property owners are expected to uphold a reasonable level of care that ensures the safety of their patrons. When this level of safety is disregarded, and a visitor experiences something like a spinal cord injury, that visitor can pursue a personal injury lawsuit against them.
Spinal Cord Injuries Caused By Medical Or Surgical Malpractice
Medical professionals are expected to uphold a particular level of care when treating their patients. If this level of care is ever neglected and results in the injury of their patient, that patient has every right to sue the healthcare professional for the damages that they have had to endure; this is especially true for spinal cord injuries caused by surgical or medical malpractice. However, filing a lawsuit against a medical professional can be somewhat challenging, as a victim is required to prove the negligence of said professional. The key elements to any successful claim of negligence are listed as follows:
- The existence of a doctor-patient relationship: Patients who think they have experienced medical malpractice in an urgent care must be able to prove to that there was a physician-patient relationship. This relationship essentially means that there was an agreement wherein the patient agreed to be treated, and the physician agreed to treat said patient.
- The physician’s negligence: The patient must be able to prove that the doctor or physician’s negligence caused the damages endured. The physician’s care is not expected to be perfect; however, it must at least be reasonably skillful and careful. Almost all states across the U.S require that the patient present a medical expert in court as to discuss what the appropriate medical standard of care should have been, and how the defendant breached that standard
- The physician’s negligence caused the injury: The patient must be able to show that it is ‘more likely than not’ that the physician’s specific actions directly caused the injury the patient is suffering from. To do this, a patient must retain a medical expert to testify that the medical practitioner’s negligence caused the injury
- The injury led to specific damages: The patient must be able to prove that they have suffered from specific damages caused by the injury. Some of these specific damages include: physical pain, mental anguish, medical expenses, lost work, or lost earning capacity.
It is also incredibly important that a victim seek proper legal representation as hospitals, doctors, surgeons, and other medical professionals are likely going to have the resources to employ a whole host of legal experts to dispute your case.
Spinal Cord Damage Caused by Work Injury
Workplace injuries can range from minor bumps and bruises to severe damages like a spinal cord injury. If you or a loved one has experienced spinal cord injury as a result of a workplace accident, you have a right to compensation. However, in almost all cases, victims of workplace injury receive compensation through the worker’s compensation insurance provided by their employer. There are only a few exceptions in which you may sue your employer for a spinal cord injury. These exceptions are listed as follows:
- A Lack of Workers’ Compensation Benefits: All employers within the United States are expected to supply their employees with proper workers’ compensation benefits. If your employer does not have sufficient workers’ compensation benefits insurance or lacks to have any benefits insurance at all, the employees have a right to pursue legal action.
- Intent to Harm: If it is found that your injuries were sustained due to your employers intent to cause bodily harm you may be able to pursue a personal injury lawsuit. This can come in many forms. For example, if your employer was aware of faulty wiring and intended for you or other employees to be harmed by it then a lawsuit for personal injury can be filed against that employer.
If you or a loved one has to experience spinal cord damage as a result of a workplace accident and one of these exceptions applies to your case you may be able to file a lawsuit against your employer for compensation.
How Normandie Law Firm Can Help
Having an experienced attorney on your side can make the difference between filing a successful claim for compensation and having your lawsuit dismissed from court entirely. At Normandie Law Firm, one of the top law groups in Los Angeles, our experienced attorneys can assist you in not only fighting our case but helping you determine the settlement average or value for your spinal cord injury lawsuit. Our attorneys practice in San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, Bakersfield, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento and throughout the state of California.
Free Second Opinions
Some attorneys are lazy, and will sign you up to their firm but will disappear once your name is on the paper as they are busy signing up more cases. In these instances, their business is based more on volume and will attempt to sign up as many cases as possible. In turn, they will spend less time on cases resulting in severely reduced settlements. Our firm will not treat you like a number. We will be in communication with you throughout our lawsuit and will treat you like family. So if you already have an attorney don’t worry, we’ll give you a second review of your case 100% free of charge.
Zero Fee Guarantee-No Upfront Fees Ever
If you contact our law offices today, we can walk you through the complicated process of filing your claim completely free of charge. As a show this commitment to you and your case we offer our clients the benefits of a zero fee guarantee policy. Under our zero fee policy, all clients don’t pay for our services until their case is won. If you feel in need of a second opinion, second opinion case reviews are also free under this policy. Please, feel free to give us a call, and we can guide you down the path of receiving proper compensation for your damages. One of our attorneys with experience in back injury cases will be able to take your call.
