A cervical spinal cord injury is an injury to the spine in the neck area. All spinal cord injuries are serious, but an injury to the spinal column closer to the brain makes it more likely that there will be severe consequences. Cervical spine injuries often result in injuries ranging from partial or lost sensation in the body below the neck up to total paralysis. These injuries frequently leave victims with the inability to use their arms or legs. There is also the chance that a cervical spine injury will ultimately be fatal.
If you suffered a cervical spine injury and are considering filing a lawsuit, you may be wondering what a good or average settlement looks like for that kind of case. Unfortunately, there is very limited data on what settlement offers look like for personal injury cases, as much of the information about most settlements is private between the parties. However, that should not stop you from having legal professionals examine your situation to determine what a good outcome looks like for you.
For a free initial analysis of your case, call our Mississippi personal injury lawyers from Howe Law at (844) 876-4357.
Why Are “Average” Settlements Unhelpful for Mississippi Cervical Spine Injury Lawsuits?
For many things, looking up an average is a perfectly reasonable and helpful decision as it can give someone who is not in the know a good idea of what to expect. However, for lawsuit settlements, averages and templates for what a “good” settlement amount is are not useful for several reasons.
Limited Data
The majority of settlements for legal issues are not open to the public. The details are often kept private out of respect for the wishes of the parties involved. Sometimes, an agreement to not talk about the details of a settlement is part of the settlement itself.
Because of this, the data points for settlements that are public are not representative of what an “average” settlement looks like. It is only a representation of what an average publicly known settlement looks like. It is impossible to tell if the average of publicly known settlements is significantly higher or lower than what the real average is.
Additionally, most of the readily available information on settlement amounts comes from the websites of law firms, which display or briefly talk about certain cases and what they settled for. Legal websites have a vested interest in putting their best foot forward to potential clients. Because of this, the likelihood is that any damages award or settlement amount displayed on a law firm’s website is likely to be, on average, higher than “normal.” There is an interest in displaying flashy, impressive settlements to put a law firm’s best foot forward.
Case Uniqueness
Another reason that nailing down what a “good” settlement looks like is that every case is different. There are countless factors that can impact how high or low a settlement amount will be. For example, a case where someone only had minor injuries that they fully recovered from will likely have a less severe settlement amount than would be received by someone who is fully paralyzed because of their injuries.
Moreover, settlements often include other stipulations besides monetary compensation. These extras are almost always case-specific. Thus, it is hard to quantify whether those extra requirements are “good” by any measure. All that can be said is whether they are good, or not, for the parties to the settlement.
What to Consider When Looking at a Settlement Offer for a Cervical Spine Injury
Having established that a good settlement offer is one that is good for you, there are many things that you and our Biloxi personal injury lawyers need to examine when determining whether a settlement offer is worth accepting or rejecting. Ultimately, it needs to be determined whether the offer meets your needs and is fair given the extent of your injuries.
Medical Needs
The most important thing to consider when debating whether to accept a settlement offer is whether the offer will address the needs of your injuries. The ultimate goal of lawsuits and settlements is to compensate the plaintiff for what has happened to them. The most important part of that compensation is meeting their medical needs. Because cervical spine injuries commonly result in partial or full paralysis, the cost of long-term medical care will often be quite large. Accordingly, you and our lawyers need to determine whether a settlement offer will meet the needs of medical attention for your condition.
Lost Wages
Another consideration is whether a settlement amount will adequately compensate you economically. This generally refers to lost wages from missed time at work because of your injuries. In most instances, this will be compensation for the time you missed from work. However, the serious nature of many cervical spine injuries is such that there is a significant chance that you will not be able to work anymore or will have to take a different job than the one you currently do. Accordingly, any settlement offer needs to include enough to offset what you would have earned for the rest of your career if you can no longer work.
Pain and Suffering
Finally, a settlement offer needs to take into account the pain, mental anguish, and overall suffering you experienced because of your injuries. Often, defendants will try to avoid talking about this part of your compensation when offering a settlement because it can be hard to physically quantify in dollars. For that reason, make sure that when assessing a settlement offer that you take this into account.
Call Our Mississippi Personal Injury Lawyers Today
Howe Law’s Jackson personal injury lawyers can help with your case when you call us at (844) 876-4357.
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