Car Accident Back Injury Settlements
If you were in a car accident that caused a back injury you are likely suffering tremendous pain and unable to live your life or perform tasks as you did before. You may have lost wages due to time off of work and spent money on treatment and therapy. A personal injury case brought by a car accident lawyer can get you a back injury settlement to compensate you for damages.
How much money can you expect from a back injury settlement?
Back injury settlements typically range between $100,000 and several million. The value of a back injury settlement will vary widely depending on the severity of the injuries and the financial and personal losses particular to the case. If you experienced a spinal cord injury that caused paralysis, for example, your settlement could be in the millions. Disc injury cases also tend to fall into the higher end of settlements if the damage is going to cause long-term problems. Soft tissue back injuries that cannot be confirmed with diagnostic testing typically provide damages on the lower end of the scale.
Additional factors that can impact the amount of the settlement are the perceived integrity of the victim, whether there were any prior back injuries and the insurance company involved.
What evidence will my personal injury lawyer need to prove my back injuries?
Your attorney will interview and may retain expert medical witnesses who will review and/or testify about MRI/CT scans, the physical symptoms of the back injury, how the victim’s life has been impacted by the injury along with future losses. The defense attorney may try to prove that the plaintiff had damage to their back before the accident in an attempt to limit liability for their client/insurance company.
How does having pre-existing back injuries affect a back injury settlement?
There is no doubt that someone who suffered a back injury in a car accident but who already had a pre-existing back injury will have a harder time proving their case. It is common for car insurance companies to argue that the plaintiff already had back injuries at the time of the car crash because the MRI shows disc degeneration or other issues that appear to have occurred in the past. The problem is that in some cases the victim may have had compromised discs before the accident but had no physical pain until the car accident exacerbated the issue. In situations with pre-existing injuries, the cases go to trial more often than cases without this hurdle.
Despite this complication, victim’s can still receive favorable back injury settlements with the help of a skilled car accident attorney. In many states the law assigns a settlement value to the entire injury and then subtracts the difference between the plaintiff’s condition before the crash verses the condition after, where the accident caused the change in the condition.
If you or a loved one is dealing with an accident or injury, you have enough on your plate. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times bigger with the help of a lawyer. Call the caring accident attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
