2 Tips for Calculating Your Spinal Cord Injury Settlement Value

After a spinal cord injury, many people consider filing a lawsuit. This is a natural response, considering the severity of this injury. Additionally, many spinal cord injuries are the cause of an outside factor. When filing a lawsuit with a spinal cord injury lawyer, is always important to listen to their advice. Oftentimes, spinal cord injury lawyers will recommend that you choose to settle out of court instead of go to trial.

While this is not always the best decision for everyone, for many people it can be a wise decision. It is considered a wise decision because it helps you move on as quickly as possible, as well as help you receive compensation you need as quickly as possible. Settling is also a good idea because it can provide you with more options. We will discuss more on this below.

Remember, there are several things a lawyer will consider when calculating an amount for a spinal cord injury lawsuit. The severity of your injury, medical expenses, your condition prior too and after your injury, your age and health, your reputation, legal issues and documented information are calculated into the settlement value.

Here are tips recommended by most spinal cord injury lawyers when filing a spinal cord injury lawsuit to get the financial compensation you deserve.

Tip #1: Consider a Settlement

As we mentioned above, considering a spinal cord injury settlement has several bonuses vs. going to trial. For many people, they need access to the funds they would receive from a spinal cord injury lawsuit right away. Important therapy is oftentimes not covered by insurance, and time is critical for many of these therapies. Additionally, home modifications and accessible vehicles are needed right away.

A spinal cord injury settlement includes two categories of damages – Economic and Non-Economic. For Non-Economic damages, these refer to damages such as emotional damages, pain and suffering and loss of consortium (loss of physical affection experienced by your partner and family). Economic damages include things such as the severity of your injury, medical expenses and loss of wages.

Tip #2: Provide Strong Pain & Suffering Evidence

Just like any court case, strong, compelling evidence can help. For a spinal cord injury lawsuit case, proving your pain and suffering in court is paramount. In order to do this, you can collect testimonies from your friends, families and caregivers that show how your injury has affected you and changed you overall. Any comments on your well-being post-injury should also be included. And if you’ve seen any mental health professionals post-injury, records from evaluations and psychiatric tests should be included.

Remember, a spinal cord injury lawsuit is always best when guided by a lawyer with experience working with individuals with paralysis. Click here to contact us to discuss more about the process of a spinal cord injury lawsuit.