The type of spinal cord injury will influence how much a claim will be worth. This is your guide to estimating how much your spinal cord injury may be worth.
What is the average settlement for a spinal fusion?
Is spinal cord injury a disability?
The injury itself would not be considered a disability. However, SPIs can cause disabilities. Disabilities associated with SCIs include:
- Muscular Paralysis
- Uncontrollable Muscle Contractions
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Incontinence
- Chronic Pain
- Numbness
- Nerve Damage
- Dysregulation of Bodily Functions
- Paralysis
How much compensation will I get for a cervical spine injury?
It is impossible to say for sure the exact amount your injury case will be worth without a detailed case evaluation. However, the range of compensation for cervical spine neck injuries usually falls somewhere between $5,000 and $50,000.
However, if you have a soft neck tissue injury, we typically see compensation amounts between $5,000 and $20,000.
Finally, for neck disc injury cases, it is possible to win compensation up to $200,000 or more.
How much is a compression fracture lawsuit worth?
A spinal compression fracture is an injury that we typically see in auto accidents and slip and fall personal injury cases. The exact amount of compensation will depend on the specifics of your case.
However, personal injury claims that involve compression fractures can see settlements from $10k to $100k or more.
How much are herniated disc injuries worth?
Just as with other spinal cord injuries, the exact amount will depend on the severity of your injuries and the other losses you experienced due to your injury.
Compensation for these types of cases can be quite high. Average settlement amounts are usually in the hundreds of thousands, while the median amounts might only be between $10k and $100k.
How much is a bulging disc injury worth?
Auto accidents that result in bulging disc injuries are typically worth between $100k and $150k.
Can I sue for failed back surgery?
If you or a loved one received back surgery and it resulted in injury or death due to a surgical error, negligence, or malpractice, then you are entitled to compensation.
Medical malpractice claims, you should know, are highly complicated and usually take a long time to complete. We vigorously evaluate each case to make sure that you have the best chance of succeeding in court so you can get the compensation you deserve.
How much compensation can I get for a spinal cord injury?
SCIs are one of the highest paying personal injury claims, due to the severity of the injuries
experienced by the plaintiffs. The exact payout will depend on your case and the extent of your injuries, but many SCI cases see compensation amounts to about $1 million or more.
What Proof Do I Need for My Spinal Cord Injury Claim?
No matter whether your injury was caused by medical malpractice, a slip-and-fall accident, or an automotive accident you will need many of the same types of evidence for your claim to have the best chance to succeed.
- You will need doctor’s notes, surgeon’s, and hospital reports to show that you were injured in a significant way.
- You’ll need to gather the testimony of medical experts who can talk about the severity of your injuries and help explain the science behind your injuries. The more authoritative the source, the better chance you’ll have that the jury will understand and rule in your favor.
In the event that your injuries came from an accident instead of surgery or medical malpractice, then you will need some more unique types of evidence.
- You should gather the testimony of witnesses on the scene.
- Collect police reports.
- File claims with your insurance and submit them.
- Again you’ll need doctor's notes to show how your injuries are related to the accident.
You won’t need all of this evidence in order to meet with one of our attorneys, but the more that you have the better we can evaluate your case.
If we decide to proceed with your case, we can help you get connected with medical experts in their field to make sure that we have all the evidence we need.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
Incomplete Spine Injury
Anterior Cord Syndrome
Central Cord Syndrome
Brown-Sequard Syndrome
Complete Spine Injury
Tetraplegia
Paraplegia
Triplegia
Levels of Spinal Cord Injuries
Cervical Spinal Cord
This region represents the top seven vertebrae of your spine. The cervical spine is the vertebrae that make up your neck and support your head. These vertebrae are medically referred to as the C-1 through C-7 spine.
Injuries in this region typically result in the victim having no feeling and no ability to move from the neck down. Medically, this condition is known as tetraplegia/quadriplegia.
Thoracic Spinal Cord
This represents the upper to mid-portion of the human spinal cord and it is the largest section of the spine. This section of the spine has 12 vertebrae (T1-T12) and the nerves around this section of the back affect many of the functions of the torso. Nerves tied to the lungs, chest, diaphragm, and help keep you standing upright.
Lumbar Spinal Cord
This is the penultimate section of the spinal cord. It encompasses the lumbar vertebrae from L1-L5 and it carries the nerves that influence feeling and movement in the legs. Injuries in this area can lead to loss of feeling and mobility in the legs and incontinence problems.
Sacral Spinal Cord
The final section of the spinal column, the sacrum is actually made up of five bones fused together and these are known as the S1-S5. The nerves around these bones influence the function of the lower digestive tract, the reproductive organs, hips, and legs.
Injuries to this area typically cause incontinence, loss of feeling, or loss of muscular control.
How Much Will I Be Compensated for a Spinal Cord Injury?
Depending on how bad the injuries are for your spinal cord injury will influence how much compensation your injury claim will be worth. Also, depending on the circumstances of your injury and the level of fault of the defendant, you may also be paid additional types of damages.
When damage awards are given to an SCI victim, they will be divided into three categories that each have varying amounts of maximum rewards in Ohio.
General Damages
For general damage awards, the overall compensation awarded will depend on the intensity or severity of the SCI.
- Severe SCIs may be awarded somewhere between $240,000 and $320,000.
- For mildly severe SCIs damage awards may be given for amounts between $160,000 and $240,000.
- For mild or moderate SCIs, damage awards may be given in amounts of between $30,000 and $160,000.
Ohio law limits non-economic damage, or pain and suffering damage, awards for medical malpractice cases to a maximum of $250,000. For any economic damages, the limit for medical malpractice cases is $350,000 per plaintiff. If your case involves more than one plaintiff, then the limit for economic damages is $500,000.
General damages are a broad category of damage awards that are given for losses that are hard to assign a financial value to.
Special Damages
Special damages are awarded for any tracked and identifiable monetary losses due to your injuries. Medical expenses, loss of income, and property damage are all types of economic losses that can be proven and compensated for.
The maximum amount for special damages is $350,000 in Ohio.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are assigned by the court to punish the defendant for gross negligence. In Ohio, punitive damages are capped at double the amount of compensatory damages.
Compensatory damages is a lump term for damage awards that compensate the defendant for their losses due to their injury. Specifically, they can be a combination of economic and non-economic damages.
Call The Lawyers at The Cochran Firm Cleveland For Help
Our personal injury attorneys are well versed in and can help you work towards a resolution for your case, whether it falls under a medical malpractice field, a slip-and-fall, or an auto accident. Call today to book a free case consultation