What Is the Average Compensation for a Head Injury?
A head injury can change the course of an individual’s life forever. A severe head injury can lead to ongoing physical disability, paralysis, or even death. Even a relatively light head injury can lead to lost work time and ongoing medical costs. When your injury was caused by neglectful actions of another, you may have a legal case and be able to receive compensation for your injury and any associated damages.
Understanding the Compensation Amount
If you’re looking for the average amount that you can expect as compensation for your head injury, it depends on the type and severity of injury. Soft tissue damage (such as a concussion) can bring in something ranging from tens of thousands to low-range hundreds of thousands of dollars. Severe injuries requiring extensive ongoing medical treatment may settle in the tens of millions of dollars — a man in Florida was awarded $26 million in damages for severe brain damage, for example.
It’s hard for anyone other than a skilled professional who knows the details of your case to estimate what it might be worth. Contact a Tucson brain injury lawyer at the Khalidi Law Firm for a free consultation if you want to get a better idea of what you can expect.
Factors that Impact the Average Compensation for a Head Injury Case
Here is a brief overview of the types of costs that are added into a personal injury settlement or verdict. Some or all of these may apply to your head injury case.
- Medical expenses
This part of your head injury compensation should include any costs you have already incurred through medical treatment for a head injury, up to the time of the settlement or verdict.
- Property damage
Many head injuries result from a vehicle accident. Typically, in the event of a car accident, property damage compensation will cover the costs of the damage done to your vehicle. Generally speaking, however, property damage is meant to cover any repairs or property lost as a result of someone’s negligence. Should your head injury result from an accident involving any property damage, these costs can factor into your overall compensation.
- Lost earnings
If you are unable to work as a result of your head injury, a personal injury settlement or verdict should compensate you for the time you were forced to take off of work. You will receive a lost earnings award to cover this income you would otherwise have received.
- Future lost income
With some severe head injuries, you or your loved one may be unable to work for a long period of time, or even be permanently disabled. Damages for future lost income are meant to ensure that no one needs to suffer because of reduced earning ability.
- Estimated future medical expenses
While it is typical that the most severe costs of a head injury come immediately after an accident, many head injuries require extensive ongoing medical help. Awards for estimated future medical expenses are meant to cover the need for any ongoing treatment an injury might make necessary.
- Pain and suffering
Pain and suffering is different from the other categories of costs associated with a head injury, because it is not directly tied to a measurable cost. Instead, it’s applied as a multiplier. For example, if you can prove you experienced pain and suffering, a judge may allow pain and suffering to double the amount awarded. In more severe cases, it may triple the total, etc. Pain and suffering is meant to compensate you for any physical and emotional pain the accident may have caused.
How Much Will You Receive as Compensation for Your Head Injury?
While some may believe there is a dollar figure we can identify as an average settlement for a head injury case, the various costs we describe above show that there is a wide range in award amounts. Depending on the severity of your injury, the cause of your injury and the potential property damage that happened in an accident, the amount of your compensation will vary.
The best way to find out how much compensation you can expect is to speak with an experienced brain injury lawyer. You and your attorney can discuss the ways your injury may impact your earning potential. You should also ask an attorney about compensation for your medical costs, and property damage costs associated with your head injury.
Get Help from An Attorney
The head injury attorneys at The Khalidi Law Firm have experience handling severe head injury cases and can negotiate on your behalf to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. We have the skills to not only achieve a strong settlement, but also to take your case to court.
We have more than 20 years of experience helping families in the Tucson area get the closure they deserve. If you or a loved one has suffered from a head injury, contact our compassionate and capable Tucson injury lawyers at The Khalidi Law firm. We provide free consultations.
