What is the Average Post-Concussion Syndrome Settlement Value?
- The average post-concussion syndrome settlement value is $20,000+, but your recovery could be significantly higher depending on the severity of your symptoms and other factors.
- Although they are defined as “mild traumatic brain injuries,” all brain injuries, including concussions, are serious and may cause lifelong effects, which could make you eligible for substantial compensation.
- We are passionate about helping every client, no matter how hard we have to work to get you the compensation you deserve.
- Our Successful Head Injury Case Results
- Concussions in Car Accidents
- Factors that Impact Compensation Amounts
- Can I sue for a concussion?
- How serious is post-concussion syndrome?
- How Long Does It Take To Recover from a Concussion After a Car Accident?
- Do I need a lawyer if I have a concussion?
- Contact the Concussion Lawyers at Cordisco & Saile LLC
The average post-concussion settlement value is $20,000 or more, but the amount you receive can range from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands, even reaching the millions. The settlement amount depends on how severely the concussion affects you, the type of incident that caused your concussion, and other factors unique to your case. The best way to determine your case’s potential value is to speak with one of our experienced Pennsylvania brain injury lawyers.
Our Successful Head Injury Case Results
Compensation for brain injuries is often substantial. Our nationally recognized attorneys have recovered numerous six and seven-figure verdicts and settlements for our clients, including the following:
- $10 million for brain and spinal injuries from a Philadelphia truck accident
- $2.9 million for brain injuries resulting from a Bucks County motorcycle accident
- $1 million for brain injuries sustained in a Bucks County car accident
- $470,000 for brain injuries sustained in a WaveRunner accident
- $242,500 for a brain injury from a minor impact rear-end accident
- $195,000 for a brain injury from a Bucks County bicycle accident
Our motto is “People Come First,” and we never stop fighting for our clients. We know that you only have one shot to bring your claim. Thus, when you choose us, we will not take that lightly. We will continue fighting no matter how much effort it requires.
Concussions in Car Accidents
Car accidents are one of the most common causes of concussion. Many people think concussions can only happen if you hit your head. While many concussions result from blows, the force of a jolt in a car accident alone is enough. Whether your concussion was caused by a blow to the head or a sudden jolt, a settlement for a concussion in a car accident can be substantial.
How Do Concussions Happen in Car Accidents?
Fluid between the skull and the brain serves as a cushion to prevent delicate brain tissue from making contact with the skull. However, if a force is strong enough, the brain can bounce inside the skull and strike the skull, bruising the brain. In a coup-contrecoup injury, the brain is bruised at the point of initial contact when it bounces forward and on the opposite side when it bounces back, resulting in two injuries.
Car accident forces can also cause micro tears in the brain’s nerve structures as it moves inside the skull, particularly if rotational forces are involved. This is known as diffuse axonal injury.
Types of Car Accidents That Can Cause Concussions
Nearly any car accident can cause a concussion. Below are a few examples of how concussions occur in common types of car accidents:
- Head-on collision – Rapid deceleration can cause a sudden jolt that leads to a concussion. You may also sustain a concussion or a more serious brain injury if you are ejected from the vehicle or the oncoming vehicle penetrates the car and hits you directly.
- Rollover – You could experience multiple blows to the head as the car rolls, and rotational forces could lead to a diffuse axonal injury.
- T-bone accident – You could sustain a concussion from a blow to the head if the point of impact is near you. If the vehicle T-bones the front or rear of your vehicle, your car could spin. The rotational forces could lead to diffuse axonal injury, whether or not you hit your head.
- Rear-end accident – Concussions are common in rear-endings, even at low speeds and regardless of which vehicle you are in.
“Many rear end crashes is that mechanism of going forwards and backwards with the neck. An analogy I always love to give is imagine your head in a bucket filled with water and a watermelon in there. If you put the watermelon in there with the water and you’re sloshing it back and forth, it's going to move back and forth. That's what your brain is doing even though it's fixated on that brain stem and it's around the skull and everything else. A blunt force is going to move that bad boy front and back and the brain is not hitting thin air, it’s hitting the skull back and forth.”
Factors that Impact Compensation Amounts
Every concussion case is unique, and numerous factors can influence your compensation.
The Cause of Your Injury
The type of injury that caused your concussion affects your settlement value because different types of insurance coverage apply. For example, the average settlement for a concussion in a car accident would differ from the settlement value of a slip-and-fall accident.
The Severity of Your Injury
Injuries that are severe and long-term add more to your case value than less severe, short-lived injuries.
When your injury leaves you with chronic pain or causes you to miss out on activities you used to enjoy, this may increase your non-economic damages, which include compensation for pain and suffering, loss of society, and loss of enjoyment of life. Emotional damage, including PTSD stemming from your concussion, is also figured into your settlement value.
The severity of your injury also impacts your economic damages, which include compensation for your medical expenses and lost wages. Your medical expenses are calculated by considering your current medical expenses and anticipated future expenses.
Lost wages are based on a comparison of your earning capacity before and after the accident. Higher wages before the accident may result in a higher settlement value when you cannot work or can no longer earn as much income as before.
The Conduct of the At-Fault Party
If the at-fault party’s conduct was especially grievous, you may qualify to pursue punitive damages. Punitive damages are awarded as a punishment against the defendant rather than for the purpose of compensation. Punitive damage awards can be significant.
Punitive damages are awarded by a trial judge. However, if the defendant knows there is a case for punitive damages, this could positively influence your settlement without the need to go to trial.
The Liable Parties
The identity of the liable party or parties in your accident can significantly impact your settlement value. For example, if a manufacturer is liable for your concussion in a car accident, the settlement value may be higher than if it was just the driver, because the manufacturer’s available insurance coverage is likely higher than an individual’s.
When you hire a Philadelphia concussion attorney at Cordisco & Saile, LLC, you can count on us to initiate a thorough investigation of your case so all responsible parties can be identified.
Whether You Share Fault in the Accident
Pennsylvania is a modified comparative negligence state, which means you can recover compensation if you are no more than 50 percent at fault, but your compensation is reduced in proportion to your percentage of the fault. For example, if your case value is $100,000 and you are 20 percent at fault, your available compensation is reduced to $80,000.
However, you should not accept a finding of fault by law enforcement or your insurance company. We will perform a more thorough investigation, which often contradicts the initial finding of fault.
The Available Insurance Coverage
Collectibility is an important factor in calculating your case value. No matter how much compensation you need and deserve, your case can only settle for the amount you can realistically collect. Unless the defendant has significant assets, your case value is generally limited to the available insurance coverage.
The Lawyer You Select
Choosing an experienced brain injury lawyer in Bensalem, Bucks County, or Philadelphia is an important predictor of case value. To maximize your case value, you will need a skilled lawyer who is willing to fight for you and commit resources to complete a proper accident investigation by hiring expert witnesses, financial planners, and other consultants.
You will need an experienced personal injury attorney with strong negotiation skills, successful trial experience, and a reputation for getting results. We have been helping injured clients get remarkable results for more than 30 years.
When you retain a brain injury lawyer from Cordisco & Saile, LLC, you can count on our award-winning team to fight aggressively on your behalf to recover as much compensation as possible, as quickly as possible, while making the process easy for you.
Can I sue for a concussion?
You may be able to sue for a concussion if someone else’s negligence caused your injury and you suffer verifiable losses, such as medical expenses, lost wages, pain, suffering, and emotional distress. You will need evidence to establish liability and prove your losses, such as the following:
- Medical bills
- Paystubs
- Expert medical witness testimony
- Eyewitness testimony
- Forensic evidence
The at-fault parties’ insurance companies will likely attempt to minimize your concussion. When you have our experienced Pennsylvania brain injury attorneys on your side, we will deal with the insurance company and gather the evidence you need. Insurance companies know you mean business when you turn to us. Call us today at (215) 642-2335 to schedule your free consultation.
How serious is post-concussion syndrome?
“A ‘concussion’ is a poorly used term for a brain injury. It should really be ‘brain damage.’ When the brain is injured, it is really permanently damaged. The brain contains billions of neurons. In a traumatic brain injury, thousands to millions of neurons are forever sheared or torn and do not repair themselves. The neurons are the pathways where the brain sends information. After a brain injury, the brain has to find new neural pathways to send the same information.”
The moment your brain is injured, a domino effect begins. The brain releases chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters, causing electrical and metabolic imbalances. These imbalances and broken communication pathways can disrupt blood flow to the brain, affecting cognitive and bodily functions.
The disrupted functions may include the autonomic nervous system, which controls the body’s fight-or-flight response and essential involuntary bodily functions, such as blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, post-concussive syndrome can cause symptoms in numerous body systems, as shown below:
- Physical symptoms – Headaches, fatigue, nausea, insomnia, and clumsiness
- Sensory symptoms – Light or sound sensitivity, vision problems, and dizziness
- Mental symptoms – Amnesia, difficulty concentrating, mental fogginess, and slowed thinking
- Behavioral symptoms – Irritability, depression, anxiety, mood swings, and suicidal thoughts
You may be unable to work, drive, or enjoy activities you previously enjoyed. If you experience a second concussion before your first one has healed, you are more likely to experience brain swelling, severe disability, or death. This is known as second impact syndrome.
How Long Does It Take To Recover from a Concussion After a Car Accident?
Most people recover from concussions approximately two to six weeks after the incident. If symptoms last longer than three months, you may be diagnosed with persistent post-concussive syndrome. Our clients have recovered from concussions within a few days, while others suffered for over a year. Some of our clients never fully recovered. There is no way to predict how long it will take to recover from a brain injury. The length of your recovery will generally figure heavily into your post-concussion syndrome settlement.
Do I need a lawyer if I have a concussion?
It is always a good idea to contact an attorney as soon as possible if you have sustained a brain injury as a result of someone else’s negligence. Although insurance companies have experience with accident cases, they hire attorneys, and so should you.
Insurance companies do not represent your best interests, no matter what they tell you. When you hire an attorney at Cordisco & Saile, LLC, you can count on us to do the following:
- Represent your best interests
- Provide you with sound legal advice
- Negotiate aggressively with the insurance company
- Refuse to give up until we win you the compensation you deserve
Contact the Concussion Lawyers at Cordisco & Saile LLC
If you or your loved one has developed symptoms from a blow to the head or a sudden jolt, our concussion quiz can help you determine whether you may have suffered a concussion. However, you should seek medical attention immediately after any incident in which you experience a sudden jolt or blow to the head.
If you have been diagnosed with post-concussive syndrome, you may be eligible to recover substantial compensation. Our award-winning team of personal injury lawyers have been practicing personal injury law for 30 years and have recovered millions of dollars for our injured clients. Contact us online or call us today at (215) 642-2335 to schedule a free consultation.
