Have you recently been injured in a car accident?
If you're ever involved in a motor vehicle accident, there are several injuries you can sustain.
The injuries can range from temporary stiffness or soreness to debilitating injuries like fractures and other bodily damage.
And with all of these injuries come sometimes extravagant medical bills as you try to make a recovery.
If you're nursing a car accident injury and you're worried about being billed large sums of money to pay for your medical treatment.
The World Health Organization estimates that up to 50 million people suffer car accident injuries every year, so you're not alone.
But how much can you expect to win in a settlement after a car accident?
The best answer our Car Accident Doctor can give is...it depends.
In the article below, we will look at several car accident injuries and what you can expect to receive in the average car accident settlement.
Table of Contents
- How Much Does A Whiplash Injury Pay?
- How Much Does A Back or Neck Injury Pay?
- How Much Does A Concussion Pay?
- How Are Injury Settlements Calculated?
- Do I Really Need an Injury Lawyer?
- Contact The Arrowhead Clinic Today
How Much Does A Whiplash Injury Pay?
A whiplash injury is the result of a rapid, forceful movement of your head and neck.
The movement forces your neck to jerk back and forth quickly, similar to the cracking of a whip.
A whiplash injury is one of the most common soft tissue car accident injuries.
Whiplash injuries are often delayed, and symptoms may not appear for several days or weeks after the accident.
If you have any reason to suspect you might be suffering from a whiplash injury after a car crash, you should seek immediate medical attention and speak to an attorney who can help you with a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.
The sooner you receive treatments, the more likely you will be to make a full recovery.
The compensation you can expect to receive for a whiplash injury will depend on how much money you need to cover your medical expenses, pain and suffering, property damage, and any other personal losses.
For a mild to moderate whiplash injury, compensation typically ranges between $2,500 and $10,000.
If you have a more severe case of whiplash, you could receive a settlement of $30,000 or more.
An attorney experienced in personal injury lawsuits can review your medical bills and other damages and help ensure that you get the maximum allowable compensation you may need for a full recovery.
How Much Does A Back or Neck Injury Pay?
No two neck injuries or back injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident are the same.
That's why compensation for neck and back injuries could be drastically different from case to case.
The more serious your injury, the more likely you will receive a higher settlement offer from the at-fault driver and their insurance company.
The more medical expenses you have piled up for your injuries, the higher the settlement offer is likely to be.
In an "average" car accident case involving relatively minor soft tissue injuries like a neck or back injury, accident victims can expect to receive a settlement between $2,500 and $10,000 from the at-fault driver or their insurance policy.
If you need more extensive medical treatment, like physical therapy, injections, or other procedures to treat your soft tissue neck or back injury, you could be compensated $30,000 for your personal injury claim.
If you suffer a more severe neck or back injury that involves fractured or broken bones, you may be entitled to much more for your damages.
If this is the situation you're in, your settlement value may be greater than $100,000.
But the majority of neck and back injuries sustained in car accidents are not extreme and typically do not have a six or seven-figure total settlement value.
How Much Does A Concussion Pay?
A forceful blow to your head usually causes a concussion.
If someone punches you in the head or you fall and hit your head, you could easily sustain a concussion.
Concussions are also highly prevalent in car wrecks because it's very easy to hit your head on your dashboard, windows, or steering wheel.
You don't always have to be hit directly in the head to suffer from a concussion.
Just the forceful movement of your upper body that's common in whiplash injuries can cause your brain to shake in an unhealthy manner or hit against the side of your skull.
The financial compensation you may receive from the at-fault party as part of your concussion settlement could be around $20,000 to $30,000.
And that's if your injury is minor and you don't have any long-lasting adverse effects from your concussion.
If you're suffering from a more severe concussion, your compensation can easily reach six figures.
It's critical with any type of injury to your head to seek immediate medical treatment.
You also need to speak with a personal injury lawyer to ensure that you get the proper amount of compensation and you don't leave thousands of dollars on the table.
How Are Injury Settlements Calculated?
Your insurance adjuster or personal injury attorney won't have an exact formula to calculate what your car accident claim could be worth.
If you weren't injured and only sustained minor damage to your car, you're typically reimbursed based on your policy limits.
You're only awarded compensation for pain and suffering and emotional distress if you've been injured in the accident.
That's why it's always important to see a doctor as soon as possible after your accident, even if you don't think you've been hurt.
If you are injured, any medical costs will be added to your personal injury settlement.
And remember that some accident injuries, like whiplash, won't always appear right away. If you wait too long to seek medical care for them, you might not be compensated for your injury.
To get a rough estimate of what your personal injury settlement might be worth, add up your expenses for medical bills, car repairs, lost wages, and any other financial losses due to the accident. Then multiply that sum by three.
That probably won't be exactly what you get, but it should be in that ballpark.
For example, if you've suffered severe injuries, you might pay $10,000 in medical bills like an injury to your back.
You also had to miss work, which resulted in $5,000 in lost wages.
If there were no other expenses, your settlement might be worth around $45,000.
The more severe injuries you have, the more you will receive in your settlement.
Accident settlements can also be limited by the policy maximum of the at-fault driver's insurance policy.
So if you have $30,000 in damages, but their policy maximum is $20,000, you may need to sue the individual separately to get the additional $10,000.
An experienced car accident attorney can help with this.
Or you might be able to file with your insurance company if you have under-insured motorist coverage.
Do I Really Need an Injury Lawyer?
Your insurance company may offer you a settlement almost immediately after your wreck.
They want to skip settlement negotiations altogether and get you to settle right away.
Your insurance adjuster may even tell you you don't need an experienced attorney on your side.
If they tell you you don't need an attorney, you need a very experienced car accident attorney.
That first offer they gave you is never enough to cover all of your damages.
They want you to accept it because they want to pay as little as possible for their claims. That's how they make money.
Your lawyer is a legal representative that knows personal injury law and can get you the best compensation possible. They will make sure you aren't taken advantage of by your insurance company.
When searching for a lawyer, look for one that specializes in car accident claims.
Read reviews from their past clients because if a lawyer has a high success rate, they likely are an excellent car accident attorney.
Set up an initial free consultation with them to go over the details of your case.
The first consultation is free because it's a chance for you and your potential attorney to get to know one another and go over the details of your case.
Once you've had a free consultation, you can decide if you want to work with the attorney or not.
Or, the attorney might refuse to take the case if they don't believe it is a good fit or if they don't think you have a strong enough case.
Contact Arrowhead Clinic Today
If you've suffered physical injuries in an automobile accident, make sure you move quickly after the accident.
You want to receive medical attention within three days to begin documenting your injuries, and in most states, you have one or two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit.
A chiropractor with Arrowhead Clinic will diagnose your injuries and design a treatment plan tailored to your needs so you can make a complete recovery.
They can also refer you to an experienced accident attorney that can help you recover financially.
With a car accident lawyer, you'll be more likely to get adequate compensation, and you won't be left wondering if you could have received more for your damages.
Arrowhead Clinic has been serving its local communities for over 40 years.
They have the skill, training, and experience necessary to help you heal from your auto accident injuries, and they'll refer you to an experienced personal injury attorney.
Contact Arrowhead Clinic as soon as possible after your car accident to maximize your ability to get the compensation you deserve.
Click the button below to schedule your Free Consultation today.
Need More Information?
Find Out How Many Times You Should See A Chiropractor After A Car Accident
