Valuing Paraplegia Injuries in Auto Accident Cases

This page will look at the average settlement value in auto accident cases involving a paraplegia injury. A paraplegia injury includes any type of injury that leaves the victim paralyzed from the waist down and unable to walk. Paraplegia can be caused by damage to the spinal cord or by injury to the brain. Injuries resulting in paraplegia are not common in auto accidents, but they do happen.

Paraplegia injuries have a very high potential settlement value. An injury that leaves the victim paralyzed for life can often have a higher settlement value than a wrongful death claim. Unfortunately, when paraplegia injuries occur in auto accidents the amount of compensation a victim can get is usually capped by the limits of any applicable insurance.

Almost any paraplegia injury will have a potential value over $1 million. The question in auto accident cases is how much insurance there is to cover these damages. The average settlement values for a paraplegia case are basically a reflection of the typical insurance limits. This means that the value of a paraplegia accident case is almost entirely dependent on who the at-fault driver is and how much insurance coverage they have.

HOW DO INSURANCE POLICY LIMITS DETERMINE THE VALUE OF PARAPLEGIA CASES?

EXAMPLE:

Jane gets broadsided by John and suffers a spinal cord injury that leaves her paralyzed for life. Jane is only 25 so this injury would easily be worth $5 million in damages if she went to a jury. Getting a $5 million dollar verdict against John would be pointless because he doesn’t have any money to pay it. Jane’s only recourse is to get as much compensation as she can from any applicable insurance.

John’s auto insurance has a limit of $75,000. Jane can also get an additional $50,000 in underinsured motorist coverage under her own insurance policy. The total settlement value of Jane’s paraplegia injury case is $125,000.