Back injuries frequently occur in car accidents and can range from minor tweaks, such as sprains and strains, to severe and debilitating conditions, such as ruptured discs, shattered vertebrae, even paralysis or another permanent condition.

Even if your back injury is minor, the cost to treat it can be substantial. If you suffered a serious back injury, you are probably looking at enormous medical bills.

You deserve compensation for your accident-related back injury. The amount you receive in a settlement will vary, however. In fact, reliable statistics on the average settlement for a back injury after a car accident are difficult to come by. Because so many unique factors determine the value of a personal injury claim, the average might not have much relevance to your specific situation.

 

Typical Damages After a Back Injury

A typical back injury settlement from a car accident includes two types of damages: economic and non-economic.

Economic damages compensate you for quantifiable losses, meaning those you can measure in exact dollar amounts. These damages could include:

  • Current and future medical bills, including surgery costs, doctor copays, rehabilitation and physical therapy, medical devices—such as crutches and wheelchairs—and even modifications to your home if necessary;
  • Lost wages to compensate you for having to miss work while recovering from your injuries; and
  • Reduced earning capacity, which pays you the difference between what you can earn post-injury and what you might have been able to make had the injury not occurred.

 

Non-economic damages pay you for other types of losses you cannot quantify in dollar terms. They include:

  • Pain and suffering, which compensates you for what you have been through due to your injuries;
  • Emotional anguish, which pays for the pain and havoc your accident wreaked on your mental state; and
  • Loss of consortium, which compensates you for the loss of ability to provide companionship to your partner, including marital intimacy.

 

You May Also Qualify for Punitive Damages

Economic and non-economic damages are often grouped together as compensatory damages. In other words, they compensate you for actual losses you suffered as a result of the accident.

There is another type of damages for which you could be eligible in certain situations. These are punitive damages. Punitive damages do not compensate you for loss, but provide you with an additional payment to punish the responsible party for their actions.

To win punitive damages, we have to show the party who caused your back injury was not merely negligent, but was behaving in a manner that was clearly and egregiously reckless or malicious. The benefit of punitive damages is you can receive them in addition to your other compensation.

 

For a Free Attorney Consultation, Call the Montero Law Center at 954-767-6500

The attorneys at the Montero Law Center focus on car accident cases. We can help make sure you receive full and fair compensation for your back injury. To schedule a free consultation right away, call our office at 954-767-6500.

 

References: 

http://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/personal-injury/estimating-value-back-injury-claim.html

 

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