The spinal cord is responsible for relaying messages from the brain throughout the entire body. It is a crucial part of our anatomy. Any sort of spinal cord injury, from mild bruising to complete severing, has the capacity to cause serious, irreparable harm to our bodies. If your spinal cord was injured in an accident and you are looking to pursue damages, you may be wondering what the average spinal cord injury settlement in California is.
How Much Is Your Injury Worth?
It can be difficult to put an exact monetary value on a specific injury. Every case is different and, thus, brings with it different circumstances unique to that case. Certain factors are critical for calculating the total amount of compensation that you may be owed, such as:
- The severity of your injuries
- The amount of liability that you or the other party may have in the accident
- The various details of your individual case
An experienced lawyer can help you decide what to do.
However, it is possible to average out a comparable number, as many spinal cord injury cases result in amounts that are quite significant and potentially life-changing. If the injuries are minor, the amount of compensation may be significantly lower. However, if the injuries are severe, the amount of compensation could increase quite a bit to a total that could be considered substantial. Some of the factors that influence the amount of compensatory damages that you may receive are:
- Your Injuries: If your spinal cord injury is catastrophic or otherwise severe, you could possibly be awarded a significant amount in compensatory damages. A jury will likely consider the long-term effects of your injury when deciding on an appropriate amount of compensation to award you.
- Lost Wages: There is a fair chance that, if you have suffered a spinal cord injury, severe or otherwise, you have missed a great deal of work in your recovery. Severe injuries can lead to a loss of income for the foreseeable future, at least until your recovery period is complete. A jury can include lost wages in your compensation award, especially if you provide evidence of your financial situation.
- Pain and Suffering: Spinal cord injuries can be immeasurably painful, especially if they result in long-term consequences, like paralysis or a loss of certain bodily functions. Seeking damages for pain and suffering is a normal, often-expected thing to fight for. While non-economic losses like pain and suffering can be subjective, if you have documentation that supports your claim, you could succeed in getting compensation for pain and suffering.
- Medical Bills: A spinal cord injury can be one of the most serious, life-threatening conditions you have ever had to deal with. As such, it can cause you to accrue quite a large amount of medical bills. Make sure you document every hospital visit, medication cost, physical therapy cost, and ambulance ride you have had to deal with since your injury. All of this can be included in your compensation award as a reimbursement of your expenses.
- Liability/Negligence: While seeking compensatory damages for your injury can be rewarding and help pay for any long-term medical care that you may need, your biggest deciding factor in pursuing said damages could simply be to hold the negligent parties accountable for their actions. Proving negligence is not easy and will require evidence, witnesses, and skilled advocacy from an experienced attorney.
FAQs
Q: What Is the Average Personal Injury Settlement in California?
A: The average settlement for a personal injury claim in California rests somewhere between $21,000 and $26,000. However, that is not a guarantee of what your settlement amount will be. It could be lower, or it could be higher, as the total compensation depends on the specific circumstances of your case. Every personal injury case is different and has different factors that influence a jury’s decision when awarding compensation.
Q: How Much Can You Get From a Spinal Injury?
A: Depending on the severity of your injuries and several other factors that could influence your case, you could get a considerable amount of compensation for your spinal injury, especially if your injuries are life-threatening or permanent in some capacity.
Moderate spinal cord injuries could result in compensation that ranges in the lower hundreds of thousands of dollars, while minor spinal cord injuries could lead to tens of thousands of dollars in compensation. None of these numbers are guaranteed, as your compensation award could be vastly different.
Q: Do Back Injections Increase Your Settlement?
A: Yes, back injections could increase your settlement. By receiving injections for your back injuries, you are showing documented medical proof that you are dealing with pain that is severe enough to warrant a medical procedure. This shows the jury that your pain is chronic, long-lasting, and deserving of financial compensation.
However, that does not guarantee that your settlement amount will drastically increase if you undergo back injections. Every case is different, and your injections could fail to win over a jury.
Q: How Much Is a Back Injury Worth in California?
A: Suffering a back injury, particularly one that injures the spine, could be worth a great deal in compensatory damages. Back injuries often create chronic pain that lasts quite a while, and they could lead to other health problems in the future. A payout for lesser back injuries could net you a reasonable amount in compensation. A payout for more severe back injuries could see you obtain quite a bit more in compensatory damages, depending on exactly how severe your injury is and how it came about.
If You Need One, Contact a Spinal Injury Lawyer
Dealing with the aftermath of a spinal injury can be debilitating, painful, and enraging. You may want to find someone or something to blame, and an experienced spinal injury lawyer can help you seek compensatory damages from any negligent parties who may have been responsible for your injury.
At Easton & Easton, we can help you build your case, gather the necessary evidence to support your claim and advocate on your behalf in court if it comes to that. We are here to help you. Contact us to schedule a consultation with our team.
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