Personal injuries are severe, mainly when they cause you or your family members to have permanent disabilities or lose a limb. In the United States alone, over 23 million people suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year.
The most common personal injury cases include car accidents, medical malpractice, slip-and-fall accidents, and workplace injuries. While no settlement figure is guaranteed in these cases, some information can help determine how much money an injured person will receive if they choose to settle out of court with their insurance company.
Chest Injuries
Chest injuries are one of the most common types of personal injury cases. They can occur when you slip and fall or during a car accident. The most severe chest injuries are caused by broken ribs, which result in chronic pain, breathing problems, and lung damage. Though chest injuries can potentially have very high settlements, they are still, on average, lower than the other injuries on this list.
There are two types of chest injuries: those that cause bleeding in your chest cavity (pneumothorax) or compression on your lungs (hemothorax). A pneumothorax is usually caused by blunt trauma to the chest after being hit with a baseball bat. This causes air to leak into the space between your lungs and chest wall, so they no longer function properly.
An example would be if someone punched you with their first directly over one side of your body, causing all the air to leak out through cracks between bones – resulting in severe bruises around their knuckles! A hemothorax occurs when blood builds up inside one or both lungs due to an injury, such as bleeding from broken ribs during an automobile accident. This can result in death if not treated immediately!
Case Example
A 78-year-old retired sailor was injured in a regatta collision in Michigan in 2020 when a sailboat struck his yacht, fracturing many ribs and causing a punctured lung. His collapsing lung necessitated emergency surgery. Doctors surgically reduced his ribs and placed a plate to fix the fractures. The settlement amount was $490,000.
Broken Bones
Broken bones are common in car accidents, slip and fall incidents, and other accidents. Broken bones can cause significant pain that can last for months or years. When a medical professional does not adequately treat a broken bone, permanent damage may occur. In some cases, the fractured bone may never heal properly and will be painful for the rest of your life.
Bones are made up of living tissue with blood vessels running through them to supply nourishment to the cells. Suppose you break a bone in your arm or leg. In that case, those blood vessels could become damaged and cause serious infections before they heal correctly. Suppose you sustain multiple compound fractures from an accident—where numerous parts of your limb break due to force—you could lose more than one part of it entirely if proper treatment isn’t received immediately after injury.
Case Example
The empty trialer of a truck that had lost control in the oncoming lanes tumbled over and turned on its side into their path, surprising a husband and woman from the Twin Cities as they were driving their Suburban on a metro area highway. Before colliding with the trialer and too late to escape it, they just got a brief sight of it. Both had many surgeries due to their severe fractures, but they were fortunate enough to avoid paralysis or brain damage. In 2009, the pre-trial conference in Hennepin County District Court resulted in the suit’s resolution.
The settlement was for $4.5 million, a large sum that would pay for all medical expenses, agony, and suffering damages.
Spine and Neck Injuries
Spinal cord injuries, or SCIs, can be devastating. They can lead to paralysis, loss of sensation, and other complications. These injuries can happen in car accidents and different types of accidents.
The average settlement amount for spinal cord injuries is $1 million. However, we’ve also seen them go up to $7 million.
These injuries are often caused by car accidents, truck accidents, or slip-and-fall injuries. A person with a neck or spine injury may suffer severe pain, numbness, loss of strength, and other complications. These issues can be life-altering for the injured person and cause them to miss work and experience financial problems. Settlements for spinal cord injuries can range from $100,000 to millions of dollars, depending on the severity of the damage.
Case Example
A person was hurt in an automobile accident in New York brought on by a careless motorist who ran a stop sign. Diagnostic testing showed that the person had ruptured discs in his cervical and lumbar areas of the spine after the incident, which caused him to have neck and back discomfort. He subsequently required cervical and lumbar fusion procedures due to his spinal damage. He was compensated $4.6 million.
Head Injuries
Head and brain injuries are among the most serious that can happen to a person. Unfortunately, they are also some of the most common personal injury claims.
Head injuries can range from minor concussions to catastrophic brain injuries, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is caused by a sudden blow or impact to the head that disrupts normal brain function. If blood vessels in your brain become damaged, bleeding or swelling can occur. This may cause permanent damage to your brain and interfere with many daily tasks.
The damages for a head injury claim include:
- Medical bills related to treatment for your injury
- Lost wages due to missed work because of your injury
- Pain and suffering
- Ability impairment
Case Example
In Fairfax, Virginia, a gas station was struck by a derailed Norfolk Southern train in 1997. The gas station manager, Donald French, had a permanent, crippling injury from the disaster while he was in his office. He specifically had catastrophic brain damage that would require ongoing medical attention. French received a $60 million verdict from a jury in Fairfax, which included $46 million in damages and an additional $14 million in interest.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
As mentioned above, the most common form of TBI is caused by a blow to the head or an abrupt head movement. This can occur from a car accident, slip and fall, or any other accident that causes someone to lose consciousness for even a brief moment. While it’s possible for someone to suffer from this type of injury without losing consciousness, many people also experience lightheadedness or dizziness.
The second most common way someone can suffer from this type of injury is after being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome (PCS). PCS occurs when an individual’s brain has been shaken so much that they have trouble processing visual and auditory stimuli. The symptoms include headaches, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, memory loss, and disorientation—all signs that something isn’t quite right inside your skull!
Case Example
A seatbelt in a vehicle is to protect the driver and passengers in the event of an accident. When a seatbelt fails, those people take the brunt of the punishment. That is precisely what happened to Mark Force. In a car accident, he had a severe brain injury when his seatbelt failed. Ford Motor Company and Mazda Motor Company were sued by Force. The jury awarded $32.5 million in damages and decided that the seatbelt in Force’s car was faulty in design and construction.
Severe Burns
Burns are among the most severe types of injury. The severity of a burn is determined by how deeply it penetrates your skin. The depth of the burn is measured in degrees, with 1st-degree burns being superficial and going no more than one layer deep into your skin, while 3rd-degree burns may go all the way through your body to expose muscle tissue or even bone.
The severity of a burn is critical because it often determines how much compensation you receive for pain and suffering, lost wages, and medical bills. If you are diagnosed with second-degree burns and endure excruciating pain that interferes with daily activities, then this pain could be worth up to 1 million dollars alone!
Case Example
An eight-year-old child was sexually molested and set on fire in Texas by a teenager. Despite living, the victim sustained long-lasting, irreparable bodily and psychological harm. Specifically, burns affected 99 percent of his body. He ultimately passed away from skin cancer, which experts theorized was connected to the damage his burn injuries caused.
In Texas, a civil case was launched against the monster disguised as a teenager. According to NBC News, the jury awarded the boy’s family $150 billion in damages. This symbolic judgment was mainly designed to send a message to the adolescent monster, which is unlikely ever to pay the actual damage to the boy’s family.
Amputations and Loss of Limbs
The average payout for amputation and loss of limb injuries is $1,000,000.
Why does this happen? Well, one reason is that these kinds of injuries are often very severe and can take a long time to heal. Another reason is that these types of personal injury claims have large amounts of emotional distress and psychological damage. The pain from amputation or limb loss can be physical and mental.
Case Example
A court in Manhattan awarded Gloria Aguilar $27.5 million after she sustained crippling physical impairments in a bus accident. Aguilar’s left leg had to be amputated due to being struck by a public transit bus.
National Average Settlement Payouts for Personal Injuries
While it’s true that every settlement is different, some averages can help you figure out what to expect in a settlement.
The average personal injury claim payout for medical malpractice is $957,000, and the average award for car accident claims is $591,500. If someone else’s negligence has injured you or if your negligence caused an accident that hurt someone else, you could be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering.
Personal injuries can be costly and devastating, so you must understand what kind of personal injury you might have suffered. We hope this guide has helped you learn more about the different types of personal injuries and what kind of settlements they may result in. If you think you’ve been injured in an accident or incident at work that wasn’t your fault, consult with an experienced attorney who can evaluate your case and help pursue damages.
Get Help
If you are looking for a personal injury settlement lawyer in Sacramento, California, we are here to help. At Ashley Injury Lawyers, we are committed to skillfully employing our wealth of experience to achieve your claim’s optimal outcome. We understand that having a highly experienced and reputable personal injury trial lawyer in your corner is in the best interest of your injury claim and your ongoing recovery. For further information or to schedule an appointment, call us at 916.419.1111.
