What is the Average Settlement for a Back Injury?
While back pain can be a common concern, if the pain stems from an injury (particularly one that was of no fault of your own), it can be devastating on a victim’s emotional health, mental health, and even financial health.
If you injured your back in an accident that was through little or no fault of your own, you have the legal right to seek compensation in a personal injury lawsuit. Your personal injury lawyer may be able to settle your case out of court, negotiating a monetary settlement on your behalf. The exact amount for every back-injury settlement depends on the specifics of the case, such as the extent of the injury, level of negligence, and the cost of medical care.
The best way to make sure that you get the highest possible settlement amount is to retain the experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyers at Ellis Injury Law. Our expert team will work tirelessly to fight for your rights and to make sure justice is served.
The different kinds of back injuries
Most every adult will experience some kind of back injury at one time or another. Luckily, many of these injuries are minor. However, others can be quite severe and cause chronic pain, debilitating numbness or weakness, and a host of other symptoms.
The most common kinds of severe back injuries include:
- Torn discs
- Sipped or bulging discs
- Lumbar ligament sprains
- Herniated discs
- Spinal cord injury
- Fractured vertebrae
- Compression fractures
- Sprained or strained back muscles
- Pinched nerves
Many of these injuries don’t manifest right away. You can feel mostly fine for hours or even days after a car crash, fall, or other kinds of accident while a severe back injury is wreaking havoc internally.
If you were involved in any kind of accident, keep an eye out for back injury symptoms like: Sudden, localized pain (may be a dull ache or sharp and radiating)
- Tingling
- Radiating pain
- Difficulty standing up straight without pain
- Trouble urinating
- Muscle stiffness or tightness
- A general lack of mobility
- Fever
- Numbness in the legs, buttocks, arms or feet
- Pain that worsens with movement
- Sharp muscle spasms in the back
How do back injuries happen?
While some back injuries can happen simply because of old age, others can be caused by dangerous accidents including:
- Defective or recalled products
- Construction accidents
- Car crashes
- Truck or bus crashes
- Slips, trips or falls
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Repetitive workplace motion
There are two steps you need to take if you’ve been involved in any of these incidents. First, seek medical attention as soon as you can. Even though back injuries may not seem severe at first, they can get worse quickly. Be sure to thoroughly document all of your treatments.
Second, contact a personal injury lawyer as you may be entitled to compensation.
How much can a back injury settlement be?
You can file a personal injury lawsuit if your back injury was the result of someone else’s negligence. Your lawyer will negotiate with the defendant in the case to help you get the maximum possible settlement for your injuries and losses.
Every back injury case is different, and there is no exact formula to calculate a settlement amount before negotiations begin. The exact amount of this settlement varies from case to case, as it depends on case specifics such as:
- The extent of the injury
- Age and medical history
- Permanence of the injury
- Pain and suffering
- Medical costs
- Mental and emotional trauma
- Length of recovery
- Lost income
- How your actions contributed to the accident
- Pre-existing conditions that may have worsened the injury
- Loss of consortium
Your lawyer will analyze all these factors to determine how much he will seek on your behalf in a settlement negotiation. If the negations fail, your lawyer will argue your case in court to get you the maximum possible award.
Back injuries in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles personal injury lawyers at Ellis Injury Law will work hard for you if you’ve suffered a back injury through little or fault of your own.
We have a long track record of successes with a variety of personal injury cases and will work tirelessly to help you get the best possible outcome. Call us today to schedule a free initial consultation.