What Is An Average Spinal Cord Injury Settlement?

Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are profoundly life-altering occurrences that impact not only the body but also the psyche and soul. These injuries can have far-reaching effects on family members, friends, and loved ones. Navigating the path to recovery post-SCI demands immense patience, courage, and unwavering support. It is crucial to seek comprehensive legal representation following a spinal cord injury. Beyond securing rightful compensation for damages, legal recourse holds negligent parties accountable for their actions.

At Front Range Injury Attorneys, our specialized team of attorneys empathizes with the challenges faced by spinal cord injury victims. We offer compassionate support and unwavering dedication, ensuring that your case receives full representation within the bounds of the law. Our experienced legal team of Denver back injury lawyers are knowledgeable and zealous advocates for our clients and their cases. We treat our clients as people, not case files. Learn more about how we can help you pursue compensation for your injuries and damages. Contact our Denver law firm to learn more.

What are the stages of grief after a spinal cord injury?

A spinal cord injury can initiate a complex journey through the stages of grief. That is especially true when the injury was sudden and unexpected. It is normal to experience grief and other emotions as a result of a serious injury.

These stages, akin to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s model for grief following death, include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. They often intertwine and may persist even after initial experiences. Establishing a robust support network is vital during this trying period. Seek solace in family, friends, medical professionals, and community resources. Leaning on the people around you can help deal with both the physical and emotional effects of a traumatic injury.

If the spine injury resulted from the negligent acts of another person or entity, you may be entitled to compensation for the physical and mental impacts of the injury. Legal representation can help protect your legal rights and act as another form of support. An attorney experienced with catastrophic injuries can help pursue full and fair compensation.

Understanding Severity in Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries vary in severity, often correlating with the intensity of the initial trauma or accident. These injuries are categorized as complete or incomplete, with complete injuries resulting in total loss of function below the injury site. Incomplete spinal cord injuries preserve some sensation or movement below the area of injury.

Spinal cord injuries can also be classified based on their location along the spinal column:

• Cervical spine: injuries to the cervical spine, or neck, can result in tetraplegia, affecting arms and legs. Cervical spinal trauma can lead to total paralysis below the neck.
• Thoracic spine: the thoracic spine is the middle back at the chest and upper abdomen. Injuries to this area can result in paralysis of the lower body and legs.
• Lumbar spine: The lumbar spine represents the spinal column in the lower abdomen. Spinal cord injuries to this area can cause paralysis in the hips and legs.
• Sacral spine: Sacral spine is the lowest portion of the spine at the waist and hips. Injury to this area can lead to impairment in the hips, legs and groin.

Severe spinal injuries often result in significant disabilities including pain, loss of strength, paralysis and loss of control. Disabilities often result in lack of independence and secondary health issues that diminish the quality of life and further add to emotional harm after an accident.

How do spinal cord injuries happen?

Spinal cord injuries occur for myriad reasons. The most common cause involves forceful trauma leading to a direct impact to the spine or a powerful force causing twisting, pulling, or jerking of the spinal cord that causes damage. Traumatic events leading to spine injuries include:

• Falls
• Workplace accidents
• Sport injuries
• Intentional acts of violence
• Car accidents
• Other motor vehicle collisions such as commercial truck accidents

Spinal cord injuries can result from non-traumatic causes such as repetitive use injuries, diseases, tumors, infections and birth defects.

Additionally, traumatic spinal cord injuries can result from a combination of accident or other traumatic event and a pre-existing condition. If you sustained a spine injury involving an accident combined with other factors, you should still talk to an experienced personal injury attorney about your accident. Under Colorado law, you can recover compensation for an accident injury, even if it aggravates a pre-existing condition.

How long does it take to fully recover from a spinal cord injury?

Recovery from a spinal cord injury hinges on various factors, including injury severity, location, and overall health. While some individuals may regain partial function through rigorous rehabilitation, others may require lifelong assistance. Embracing the concept of adaptation and maximizing one’s potential is often key to navigating life post-injury. In our experience, clients are most likely to experience their best recovery by seeking prompt medical attention and fully complying with their doctor’s treatment plan.

Addressing Permanent Disability

Spinal cord injuries result in long-term or permanent disabilities, potentially qualifying victims for disability benefits. Depending on the nature of the injury and how it happened, you may have multiple avenues to seek disability benefits. These may include SSDI, state disability benefits, disability payments from workers’ compensation, short and long term disability plan benefits.

While current medical advancements cannot reverse these injuries, rehabilitation programs and assistive technologies offer hope for improved quality of life. Your treating physician will evaluate your injury and provide a treatment plan to minimize symptoms and assist you with learning to work with your injury.

Additionally, many social programs and non-profit organizations exist to help victims of spinal cord injuries and their families navigate the path forward following a debilitating injury. These organizations can assist you with exploring public assistance, seeking insurance coverage and other useful information.

What is the average spinal cord injury settlement?

Spinal cord injury settlements vary widely based on individual circumstances, including injury extent, medical expenses, lost income, and overall impact. Settlement amounts are typically higher than average personal injury cases, reflecting the severity of these injuries. Although these accident cases often involve larger settlements due to more serious injuries, we evaluate every case individually on its merits and the unique impact the accident had on you.

As most people would expect, an accident case involving a permanent and debilitating injury will tend to result in a higher settlement or jury verdict than a more minor accident involving injuries that heal within months. More serious injuries generally result in higher damages for which the victim can pursue under Colorado law. SCIs often result in more serious diagnostic and rehabilitative medical expenses. There is also a greater likelihood of lost past and future earnings due to disability. Your home and vehicle may need expensive modifications to assist with your new physical condition. Additionally, the non-economic damages such as pain and suffering and loss of quality of life tend to be higher due to the more severe nature of injury and effect on your life. According to a Forbes report, spinal cord injury settlements can range from $100,000 to $1 million (or more) in damages.

Consulting with a personal injury attorney is crucial to understanding available legal options and pursuing rightful compensation. Experienced attorneys can identify liable parties, gather essential evidence, and negotiate comprehensive settlement agreements. Proving the full value of damages in a case involving permanent injuries requires a knowledgeable and experienced attorney who knows how to investigate and develop evidence of your past and future effects from the accident. It is also vital that you have an attorney on your side thoroughly exploring all possible avenues of recovery.

Insurance companies and defendants, such as trucking companies, often fight SCI claims aggressively due to the potential liability for a six or seven figure claim. They will explore alternative explanations for symptoms, such as pre-existing conditions, and liability, such as comparative negligence. The best avenue to pursue full compensation for your injuries is with a personal injury lawyer experienced with catastrophic injury claims.

Partnering with Front Range Injury Attorneys

Front Range Injury Attorneys stands ready to advocate for SCI victims, providing specialized legal representation and unwavering support. Our experienced injury lawyers possess extensive knowledge of Colorado law, ensuring thorough representation in catastrophic injury cases. We are aggressive advocates for our injury clients to pursue full compensation for accidents to help them obtain necessary medical care and move forward with their lives after a serious accident.

Navigating life after a spinal cord injury requires understanding, empathy, and steadfast support. The dedicated team at Front Range Injury Attorneys is committed to providing unparalleled legal representation and helping victims reclaim their lives. Contact our law firm today for a free case review to learn more about how our experienced attorneys can help you.