Average Herniated Disc Settlement Value in Florida
Wondering how much a case for a herniated disc injury from a car accident is worth in Florida? According to the herniated disc car accident settlement Florida examples listed on this page, the typical herniated disc settlement values in Florida vary greatly from $300,000 to $1,575,000. Settlements depend on the unique circumstances of each case, so the herniated disc worth in a car accident in Florida varies greatly. These claims can be very complex to pursue, which is why you should speak with an experienced Florida car accident attorney as soon as possible.
If you’ve suffered a serious herniated disc injury from a car accident in Florida, near Tampa, or some other area of Florida, it’s your right to pursue the largest monetary settlement possible. At-fault parties must be held accountable for their actions.
No two accidents or victims are alike. For many victims who experienced a herniated disc from a car accident, settlement values can be substantial. Severe spine injuries typically require extensive treatment and rehabilitation, potentially affecting every aspect of the victim’s life.
Recovering fair financial compensation for your damages will help ensure you get the treatment you need and provide peace of mind for the future. When choosing a nearby car accident lawyer to represent you, ask potential attorneys about their experience with herniated disc injury settlements.
Herniated Disc Injury Settlements With Steroid Injections Florida
When initial conservative treatment such as physical therapy and chiropractic care is unsuccessful, steroid injections or nerve root blocks could be the next option. Herniated disc injury settlements with steroid injections in Florida are not uncommon.
Interlaminar injections are the most common procedure for this type of treatment. This procedure involves epidural steroids that are injected into the spine to reduce swelling and pressure on nerves.
In more severe cases, nerve blocks or caudal injections may be required. All of these options are expensive and should be calculated into the vault of your herniated disc settlement.
If you require steroid injections as a part of your treatment, you may be able to recover more compensation for your injury. Having injections directly into the spine can be painful and traumatic for the injury victim.
Your attorney may advise you to have someone film the injections to demonstrate the stress and discomfort you experience during your treatment.
Here’s how to explore your options for filing an insurance claim or lawsuit, talk to a Florida car accident attorney.
Understanding Herniated Disc Injuries Resulting from Florida Car Accidents Near Tampa
Spinal disc herniation refers to a condition that affects the rubbery cushions that separate the vertebrae.
Discs (or disks) have a jelly-like center called the nucleus. When the rubbery covering (called the annulus) of the disc ruptures, some of the nucleus can ooze out, creating a herniation.
In some cases, herniation causes no harm or notable symptoms. More often, however, the herniation pushes on one of the delicate and highly sensitive nerves of the spinal cord. The results can range from mild pain to lifelong debilitating symptoms.
Car accidents are one of the most common causes of disc herniation and other spinal injuries.
The force of a car crash—even a seemingly minor collision—exerts excessive and unusual force on the spine.
In addition to car accidents, some of the most common incidents leading to disc herniation injuries include motorcycle crashes, truck accidents, and incidents involving specialty vehicles such as tractor-trailers, busses, commercial trucks, and construction vehicles.
If you or a loved one sustained this type of injury in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may have the right to pursue legal action.
Common Symptoms of Herniated Discs
The symptoms of a serious disc herniation can be overwhelming. The type of symptoms you experience can vary depending on which part and how much of the spine was affected. Common symptoms include:
- Neck pain,
- Back pain,
- Arm or leg pain,
- Numbness, and
- Weakness.
The extent of disc-related injuries can be significant.
Many spinal injury victims suffer significant neurological damage as a result of their accident, ranging from partial paraplegia to full paralysis, or tetraplegia. Many of these victims never recover fully, requiring a lifetime of pain management, treatment, and personal care.
Spine injuries can also lead to complications that further degrade your health and quality of life. If a herniated disc compresses the nerve bundle at the base of the spine, you could experience truly debilitating pain, numbness or weakness.
Other potential complications include:
- Bladder dysfunction,
- Bowel dysfunction, and
- Saddle anesthesia.
Saddle anesthesia is the loss of sensation on the backs of the legs, the inner thighs, lower buttocks, genital and rectal areas—all the parts of the body that would come into contact with a saddle if you sat on one.
Patients who experience these complications may require emergency surgery to avoid permanent damage.
How Are Spinal Disc Herniation Injuries Treated?
Spinal injuries require advanced treatment from qualified medical practitioners and specialists. To determine the appropriate treatment regimen, your doctor will perform a comprehensive exam to diagnose the nature and extent of your injury.
This might require medical testing such as:
- X-rays,
- CT scan,
- MRI,
- Myelogram,
- Nerve conduction testing, or
- Electromyography (EMG).
Based on the outcome of your testing, the doctor will recommend an appropriate treatment plan.
Pain management is typically necessary to help victims cope with their symptoms. This could include prescription pain medication (opioids), muscle relaxers, and steroid injections administered directly into the spine.
Unfortunately, pain management does nothing to improve the disc herniation itself. Even physical therapy cannot reverse the damage to the spine in most cases. For many back-injury victims, the only way to repair a damaged disc is through surgery.
Herniated disc surgery takes many forms. The surgeon may remove some or all of the damaged disc. If the disc requires full removal, the surgeon may fuse the vertebrae together using metal rods for stability and bone grafting.
Can a Herniated Disc Settlement Calculator Estimate Your Settlement Value?
Do not trust these calculators. Without considering all the details of your case, no individual or automated injury settlement calculator can accurately estimate what your case might be worth.
Once a personal injury attorney with offices near your area has the opportunity to evaluate your case and review the details of your injuries, you can get a better estimate of your claim’s potential value.
What Factors Affect the Value of Herniated Disc Car Accident Settlements in Florida?
Every car accident is unique and there are a number of factors that can affect the value of your herniated disc accident settlement. These are generally not within your control and may require an investigation to gather evidence and achieve maximum compensation. Some of these factors include:
- Medical history, and pre-existing conditions, such as an aggravated injury;
- Age at the time of injury;
- Lost wages;
- The prognosis of your herniated disc;
- How much pain and suffering you have endured because of the injury; and
- Who was at fault for the accident.
Pre-Existing Conditions
A pre-existing condition or aggravated injury does not necessarily bar you from a herniated disc car accident settlement in Florida. Though your medical records may indicate that the condition existed before the accident, you may still be entitled to a settlement if the car accident aggravated the injury.
Age at the Time of Injury
The spinal cord naturally weakens with age. Because of this, an older person may be more susceptible to spinal injury. Age may also impact working status. So a retired person may receive a lower settlement because there is no loss of wages component.
Lost Wages
If you are partially or fully unable to work because of a herniated disc, you may receive compensation for your lost wages during the time you cannot work. And of course, the higher your salary is, the larger your settlement should be.
Injury Prognosis
The injury prognosis takes into consideration the outlook for recovery as determined by a medical professional. Your herniated disc could be uncomfortable but repairable, or it could be severely debilitating for life. The severity of the prognosis will impact your herniated disc settlement value.
Pain and Suffering
The circumstances surrounding your injury could result in recovering more than just monetary losses. A herniated disc is a painful injury.
The court will take this into consideration along with emotional factors such as mental anguish, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Accident Fault
Florida is a modified comparative negligence state. This means that if you are found to be no more than 50% at fault for the accident, your recovery is reduced by the same proportion as your percentage of fault. As an example, if you are found to be 20% at fault in an accident, you may still recover 80% of your damages in a lawsuit. If, however, your percentage of fault is found to be more than 50%, you are barred from any recovery under the law.
What Does Compensation Cover in Your Herniated Disc Settlement?
Herniated disc settlement value in Florida will depend on your physical, emotional, and financial damages.
You may have the right to recover compensation for some or all of the following:
- Doctor and hospital bills,
- Other medical care costs,
- Rehabilitation and therapy costs,
- Lost wages to date,
- Future medical and care costs,
- Loss of future earnings,
- Pain and suffering,
- Diminished quality of life, and
- Diminished earning capacity.
You may also be entitled to compensation for any permanent injuries or disability you experienced.
Does Spinal Fusion Surgery Affect the Value of a Herniated Disc Settlement?
Any injury that requires surgery can result in an increased settlement for the victim.
Spine surgery is complex, expensive, and often requires extensive recovery and rehabilitation. It also involves increased medical costs and can justify a claim for pain and suffering. Spinal fusion surgery works by decreasing the movement between two vertebrae in a location of chronic pain.
Most doctors consider spinal fusion a major surgery that is reserved for severe situations when more conservative treatment does not work. Many back-injury victims require multiple surgeries over time.
One of the personal injury attorneys of Abrahamson & Uiterwyk can tell you how these factors might affect the value of your claim.
Examples of Herniated Disc Settlements in Florida That Abrahamson & Uiterwyk Has Achieved (Updated 2024)
Although past case outcomes might not influence your results, these are two examples of our past achievements for herniated disc car accident victims in or near the Tampa area:
- $1,575,000 Verdict for a Hillsborough County, Florida, rear-end car accident victim.
- $1,074,169 Verdict for a Hillsborough County, Florida, sideswipe car accident victim.
$150,000/Premise Liability/2022
At the time of this unfortunate accident, our client, a 36-year-old certified nursing assistant, was renting a home in New Port Richey, FL. Our client made a complaint with management that water was leaking through the roof, and maintenance was dispatched to address the problem. It was discovered that there was a broken drain line from the air conditioning unit, and management advised that they would have it repaired. Unfortunately, they failed to do so, and shortly thereafter while our client was walking through the house, she encountered the leaking water which caused her to slip and fall.
As a result of the fall our client presented to the emergency department at a local hospital with significant injuries to her neck, back and leg. Upon her release, she followed up with a rehabilitation clinic where she received ongoing care and treatment. Due to the nature of her injuries, MRI studies were ordered which revealed herniated discs in the neck and the mid-back causing compression on the spinal cord. Our client was then referred to a neurologist for additional treatment. She underwent an epidural steroid injection in her neck and a procedure known as a radiofrequency ablation in her mid-back.
The defense initially questioned their responsibility for the injury. Our attorney presented facts and circumstances which caused them to re-evaluate their position. Eventually, the insurance company suggested that they would be willing to pay $75,000.00 to settle the case. We rejected their offer and pushed to get our client more compensation. We negotiated hard and pointed out additional facts that established their liability for the fall. Ultimately, through these efforts, we were able to get the insurance company to pay $150,000.00 to our client. Our client was very pleased with the result, especially since she was able to recover reasonable compensation for her injuries.
$100,000/Auto Accident/2023
Our client is a Ukrainian immigrant who came to the United States, learned the language, and worked hard to put himself through school as an airline mechanic. Unfortunately, in July of 2021, he was involved in a car crash when the defendant ran a stop sign and struck his vehicle. As a result of the collision, our client suffered a herniated disc in his neck. This injury was painful and caused him difficulty performing his duties as an airline mechanic.
After a demand for settlement was made, the defendant’s insurance company took the position that our client had merely a soft tissue injury and that the impact to his vehicle was minor. They offered only a little over $3,000.00 to settle the case. We filed a lawsuit to pursue fair compensation for our client. Discovery, including depositions of the parties, was conducted, and the case was set for a mediation conference.
At mediation, we argued that although our client’s medical expenses were quite low, his surgeon indicated that he would eventually require a cervical disc surgery, the cost of which would exceed the defendant’s insurance policy limits of $100,000.00. At mediation, we would not budge off our demand for the policy limits while the defense offered only $15,000.00. As a result, the mediation was an impasse. Shortly thereafter, the defense served a Proposal for Settlement for $15,000.00 which we rejected. We served our own Proposal for $100,000.00. In a great result for our client, the defense accepted our Proposal on the day it was set to expire, and the case settled for the maximum limits of $100,000.00.
Featured case result: $300,000.00 / Motor Vehicle Accident / Neck and Back Injuries / Highway 301
The defendant in this case was traveling north on Highway 301 when he hydroplaned on the wet roadway and lost control.
He skidded northeasterly across two lanes of an intersecting road and jumped the raised median before broadsiding our client who was stopped in the left turn lane facing west.
The defendant was cited by the police for failure to use due care.
Our client was taken to the emergency room for initial treatment. Following discharge, she saw her primary treating physician for, among other injuries, pain in her neck, low back and jaw.
An MRI scan of the neck revealed a herniated disc at C4-5, and she was referred to an orthopedic surgeon who recommended an operation to remove the herniated disc. Our client had the surgery a few months after the accident.
The insurance company for the negligent driver initially only offered $150,000.00 and argued that the herniated disc was pre-existing, and age-related.
We hired an expert radiologist to bolster our claim that the disc herniation was actually caused by the accident.
We negotiated hard with the insurance company, and we were eventually able to persuade them to double their offer, and the case settled for $300,000.00.
For more than 30 years, Abrahamson & Uiterwyk has provided aggressive, compassionate representation for car accident victims. We have assisted more than 20,000 clients during that time and recovered more than $800 million in compensation for our clients.
Talk to a Herniated Disc Car Accident Attorney Near You for Help
After a serious back injury, your future may depend on your ability to obtain comprehensive medical treatment. If you can’t work, you need resources to get you through your treatment and recovery. Don’t try to face these challenges alone.
The personal injury lawyers of Abrahamson & Uiterwyk offer free consultation and case analysis for car accident victims. Contact us today to learn more about how much of a settlement to expect for a herniated disc. We have offices in and near Tampa, but we can discuss a case with you from anywhere in the state. If you want reliable information – contact us today!
We offer a free, no-obligation consultation, and we never collect any legal fees until we recover a settlement in your case. If you would like to learn more about what you should expect from the car accident settlement process with GEICO, contact us now. We’ve helped clients with car accident injuries throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, and Hernando County.
Cities We Commonly Serve
- Tampa
- Clearwater
- St Petersburg
- Spring Hill
- Lakeland
- New Port Richey
- Pinellas Park
- Sarasota
What A Happy Client Says About Abrahamson & Uiterwyk on Google
Upon hearing about this firm from another client I contacted them on behalf of my 13 yr old daughter. We were in a car accident and she suffered injuries to her back. They acted quick and prompt to come meet with us. Very outstanding, positive experience and would highly recommend to other’s and use again if I unfortunately needed too. Thank you to everyone.
Nicole W.
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