After sustaining injuries from a car accident, you’ll probably be curious about how much you’ll get from your settlement. Even before asking for a specific amount of compensation, it is important that you are familiar with what the average settlement amount is. Determining the value of a case is an essential part of any personal injury process.
At Gordon & Gordon, our personal injury attorneys in Northwest Louisiana pride themselves on helping victims of negligence. We know that victims deserve compensation for their injuries, and we vow to fight on their behalf. With 30 years of combined legal experience, you can rest assured that we’re well-equipped to handle your case. If you or a loved one suffered a lower back injury from a car accident, we’re here for you. To schedule your consultation with us, please call 318-716-HELP today. We don’t charge fees or ask for reimbursement unless you get a settlement in your case.
In this blog, the Shreveport personal injury attorneys at Gordon & Gordon outline the process and nature of compensation for lower back pain after a car accident.
Can I File a Personal Injury Claim for Lower Back or Neck Pain After Car Accident Compensation?
Absolutely. As with many different types of injuries, lower back and neck injuries have the potential to be either mild or life-threatening. This is especially true if spinal cord injuries are involved. So long as your injuries stem from someone else’s negligent actions, you have a case. No matter if you receive minor or severe injuries, you deserve compensation for a variety of reasons. However, an important first step in any personal injury case is determining liability. In order to do this, we must prove three things.
- You actually suffered an injury.
- Another person’s actions directly caused your injury.
- That person acted recklessly or negligently.
Almost every personal injury case is unique in some way. That’s why, at Gordon & Gordon, our Shreveport car accident lawyers work hard to research every minor detail of your injury claim. Building a strong library of evidence not only helps us in forming your case, but also puts you in the best position for a favorable outcome.
Why Pursue an Injury Settlement for Lower Back Pain After Car Accident Compensation?
The neck and the back are both extremely essential and delicate parts of the human body. We use them every single day just to stand up straight. Also, injuries to these parts of the body tend to linger and sometimes worsen over time. Some victims face only minor soreness and discomfort, while others undergo years of therapy and treatment for their injury. Others never have the luxury of returning to their life as they once knew it. For this reason, many back injury and neck injury settlements include pain and suffering as a form of compensation. While the money never changes what happened, it helps to prevent or relieve the stress from therapy and medical bills. It could also lead to a generally better quality of life than before.
How Much is the Average Settlement for a Back Injury?
As with other types of settlements, no attorney can tell you what you’ll get before they speak with you about your individual case. However, we can provide a broad range of average settlement amounts that many people see in their cases. Minor back injury claims range from about $10,000 to $100,000 in settlement amounts. The total compensation amount usually includes monetary damages, such as medical care and expenses and property damage, plus damages for pain and suffering they endured during recovery.
For severe injuries, however, settlements may range into the millions of dollars. This is because these injuries impact a person’s life for years to come and typically require extra care. On top of that, the victim often has expensive hospital bills, lost wages, and a lower quality of life overall. They might even have a lower life expectancy because of the injury. For these reasons, your Shreveport personal injury attorney will try their hardest to get you every cent that you deserve after your injury.
Does the Length of Treatment Affect Your Settlement Amount?
Yes, the length of medical treatment you receive can affect your personal injury settlement payout. It is important to understand what your insurance company will and will not pay for. In general, more medical treatment for your injuries means a higher settlement value. However, your insurance company may not consider all types of care to be equal. They’ll consider the type of care, as well as its duration, when offering reimbursement.
Sometimes, certain injuries require weeks to diagnose, but not much in terms of treatment. In these cases, insurance companies may offer less in terms of compensation. Additionally, insurers tend to pay more for traditional care. Non-traditional care, such as homeopathic solutions, tends to receive less compensation. Another type of care that insurance companies like to undervalue is physical therapy. While other types of lengthy treatments receive higher settlement payouts, physical therapy is not as highly valued.
Because of the number of factors involved in determining your settlement amount, we recommend working closely with an attorney to negotiate with the insurance company about settlement amounts. These companies like to lowball injured victims, but an experienced personal injury attorney can help combat this as much as possible.
What Compensation Can I Receive for a Lower Back or Neck Injury?
As with any personal injury case, victims usually receive multiple types of compensation. Below, we discuss the possible sources of compensation for your accident.
- Current and future medical bills or injury-related out-of-pocket expenses
- Lost income or wages due to medical treatment
- Pain and suffering resulting from the injuries
- Permanent disabilities resulting from the accident
- Temporary or permanent loss of earning capacity or an inability to work
- Loss of consortium
How Can a Shreveport Personal Injury Attorney Help Me?
In any personal injury case, an attorney is one of the best investments you can make. Many reasons exist for hiring an attorney, and even more for hiring one from Gordon & Gordon. Below, we list some of the benefits we bring to the table:
- Determining liability in your case.
- Gathering evidence to support your claim and your case.
- Reaching settlements that cover all of your damages.
- Litigating your case in front of a judge, if necessary.
Call a Shreveport Car Accident Attorney Today!
If you or a loved one suffered injuries as a result of someone else’s negligence, you need the help of personal injury attorneys Gordon & Gordon. With over 30 years of combined legal experience, we’ve handled all manners of personal injury cases. From minor car accidents to devastating Shreveport motorcycle accidents and cases of wrongful death in Louisiana, we handle it all. To schedule a consultation with a dedicated personal injury attorney, please call our office at 318-716-HELP today.