Serious spinal cord injuries can cause a lifetime of losses and damages. Every accident is different, and the subsequent injuries are unique. A spinal cord injury lawyer can help you assess your damages and losses to better understand what your case might be worth.
There are many different factors that affect spinal cord injury compensation under Colorado law.
To schedule your free case evaluation and consultation, you can contact us online or give us a call at (303) 381-2234. Olson Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight for fair compensation in these difficult accident claims.
Key Takeaways
What Is the Average Spinal Cord Injury Settlement in Colorado?
Settlements are reported privately and often contain confidentiality requirements, making it difficult to adequately evaluate settlement statistics. However, it is estimated that the average settlement for catastrophic spinal cord injuries can range between $500k to over $10 million. Settlements vary substantially in value because there is a wide range of spinal cord injuries. You could suffer injuries that cause consequences ranging from loss of feeling or loss of sensation to complete paralysis from below the neck.
While minor back injuries can cause temporary pain or impairment, you can often make a full recovery. When you suffer paralysis, this catastrophic permanent injury necessitates a lifetime of intense medical care needs and can make it difficult or impossible to work.
The table below shows the different kinds of spinal injuries and their typical costs, based on estimates from the Christopher Reeves Foundation.
| Severity of Injury | 25 Years Old | 50 Years Old |
|---|---|---|
| High Tetraplegia (C1-C4) ASIS ABC | $4,724,181 | $2,596,329 |
| Low Tetraplegia (C5-C8) ASIS ABC | $3,451,781 | $2,123,154 |
| Paraplegia ASIS ABC | $2,310,104 | $1,516,052 |
| Incomplete motor function (any level) ASIS D | $1,578,274 | $1,113,990 |
Why Spinal Cord Injury Cases Are Often High Value
A spinal cord injury is typically considered a catastrophic injury because full recovery is often impossible with current medical treatments.
When you damage the spinal cord, you may experience full or partial paralysis below the point of injury, necessitating long-term rehabilitation and a need for lifetime medical care. Those with serious spinal cord injuries are often unable to work or enjoy routine life activities. You may also need to adapt your home and vehicle to be wheelchair friendly.
It is important that you have a skilled spinal cord injury lawyer prepared to demonstrate the extent of your damages so you can recover the full compensation necessary to rebuild your life.
What Factors Affect the Value of a Spinal Cord Injury Settlement in Colorado?
While even a minor accident can cause back pain, the permanency of your injuries will directly determine the amount of compensation that you are entitled to recover. Some of the biggest factors affecting the value of a spinal cord injury settlement include:
- The severity of your injury: If you were badly hurt and will suffer lifelong impairment, you should be entitled to more compensation.
- Future medical costs: The at-fault driver should pay for all the care you will need throughout your lifetime due to your injury. If you have been left paralyzed, this could include a substantial amount of medical services.
- Lost earning capacity: When your injuries leave you unable to work, you should be paid for a lifetime of lost wages.
- Liability: You will typically recover more money if the other driver is 100% to blame for the accident and fault is clear.
- Insurance limits: Insurance policies only pay up to policy limits, regardless of how serious your injuries are. The higher the insurance limits, the more money there is to pay for all of your losses.
- Long-term care needs: If you need assistance with routine activities of daily living due to your injuries, this can come at a very high cost. The responsible driver should pay for losses.
The stronger your claim and the more serious your injuries, the more compensation is available, up to the insurance policy’s limits.
On the other hand, if you share the blame for the incident, there is limited insurance, or your injuries are minor and full recovery of your health and functionality is possible, you’re likely to collect far less compensation.
What Types of Damages Can You Recover in Colorado?
In Colorado, you can recover compensation for both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic losses include actual financial losses like medical bills you paid, income missed due to missing work, property damage, and loss of future earning power. Non-economic damages include things like pain and suffering, emotional distress,
Colorado has a damage cap on non-economic losses. However, House Bill 24-1472 substantially increased the amount of compensation you can collect, raising the damage cap from $700,000 to $1.5 million in personal injury claims. In wrongful death actions, the non-economic damages cap increased to $2.125 million. The caps also increase automatically with inflation.
How Colorado’s Comparative Negligence Rule Can Affect Compensation
Under the Colorado comparative negligence law, you can recover compensation as long as you were less than 50% to blame for the incident.
Pre-existing spinal or back conditions also don’t prevent recovery if you can show that your injuries were made worse as a result of the accident. In these cases, you will need detailed medical records to show the extent of the new damage.
Recovering after a car crash can be challenging, especially when dealing with injuries and insurance claims. Our experienced car accident attorneys are here to take the burden off your shoulders and fight for your rights, so you can focus on healing.
What Can Strengthen a Spinal Cord Injury Claim?
The strength of your evidence will play a major role in determining how much you can recover for a spinal cord injury claim. The more clearly you can prove fault and demonstrate the extent of your damages, the more compensation you can typically recover in a settlement or court verdict.
Prompt medical treatment to diagnose your injuries helps document that the injuries were caused by your crash. Experts can testify about the severity of your injury and the extent of your losses. Preserving evidence from the accident scene, like witness statements, security camera footage, and cell phone records, can also strengthen your claim.
Why Working With a Colorado Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Matters
At Olson Personal Injury Lawyers, our case results demonstrate that we know how to build strong claims after catastrophic injuries. Our firm:
- Works with experts to investigate your accident and calculate future damages
- Gathers and preserves evidence from the scene
- Conducts a thorough investigation of the accident to strengthen your evidence
- Identifies all defendants to maximize available insurance coverage
- Negotiates with insurers to protect your claim and maximize the chances of an out-of-court settlement
- Represents you in court to present compelling evidence of the crash cause and your losses
Getting the right legal help early is important because the financial stakes of spinal cord accident claims are very high. An experienced spinal cord injury lawyer can help you make the strongest case.
Contact a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Today
Olson Personal Injury Lawyers is Protecting The West, one case at a time, and we offer a Zero Fee Guarantee. Give us a call at (303) 381-2234 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation and learn more.
