Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a devastating condition that can develop after a serious injury, such as one caused by a car accident. Victims often suffer from chronic pain, nerve damage, and loss of function that can severely impact their daily lives. When CRPS results from someone else’s negligence, the injured party may be entitled to significant compensation through a personal injury claim.

CRPS settlement amounts depend on a number of factors, including the extent of the injury, the need for long-term medical treatment, and the overall effect on the person’s quality of life. In many cases, settlements can range from tens of thousands of dollars to well over a million, especially when the individual experiences long-term disability or cannot return to work.

If you are dealing with a CRPS diagnosis after an accident, understanding how complex regional pain syndrome settlements work is key to protecting your legal and financial future.

Real CRPS Settlement Amounts

$5,000,000 CRPS Case Settlement Following Cervical Spine Surgery

Our client, who is a medical doctor, was stopped at a green traffic signal due to an ambulance responding to an emergency call. The defendant driver was unable to stop and collided with the rear of our client’s vehicle at a high rate of speed, pushing it forward into the intersection. Both vehicles sustained significant property damage, with our client’s vehicle being totaled.

The client was transported from the scene by ambulance to a local emergency room, where he complained of neck pain radiating into his arms. He had no prior significant history of neck pain. He was treated at the hospital and then underwent a course of physical therapy. An MRI of his neck revealed multiple large, herniated discs. After conservative treatment failed to alleviate his pain, he elected to undergo a lengthy and complex two-part surgery where his surgeon went in both the front and back of his neck and fused four levels of his cervical spine. Unfortunately, during the surgery he suffered a spinal cord leak, and he had to return for emergency surgery days later. Following the second surgery, he suffered from severe debilitating pain due to nerve damage, and his left arm was severely compromised. He was diagnosed by physicians with a condition known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (“CRPS”) and underwent numerous stellate ganglion nerve block injections and ketamine infusions. Unfortunately, nothing the doctors tried helped alleviate his debilitating pain.

Our firm proactively filed a lawsuit early on and undertook extensive discovery. Depositions were taken of the defendant driver and other witnesses. In addition, our firm retained numerous expert witnesses, including a life care planner/physiatrist, who evaluated our client’s future medical care needs; an economist, who determined the cost of our client’s future care; and an accident reconstructionist, who assisted in establishing the defendant’s fault for causing the accident. We also obtained pain management / CRPS specialists, a radiologist, and a spine surgeon to educate the jury regarding the nature and extent of the injuries our client had suffered. The defendants also hired several experts, including their own spine surgeon, as well as other witnesses to dispute the cost of our client’s medical treatment and the need for future medical care. The defense even hired their own accident reconstructionist to claim that the client could have safely proceeded through the intersection without stopping for the ambulance.

After the case was set for trial, the defense made their first offer of $1,500,000.00. We immediately rejected this offer, as it was insufficient to fairly compensate our client for his tremendous losses. The defense made several more offers before proposing to settle the case for $3,100,000.00. We rejected all of these offers and insisted that the defense pay our client just compensation. During this time, the parties undertook depositions of the expert witnesses. Most notably, at the deposition of the defendant’s expert spine surgeon, we were able to establish that the crash caused the need for surgery and the subsequent surgical complications resulting in lifelong damages. With the trial date approaching, the defense recognized that their liability was substantial. They filed two written proposals for settlement for $4.0 million and $4.25 million, which we also rejected. Finally, following some late negotiations, we accepted the defense’s offer of $5,000,000.00, and the case was settled. In all, we rejected 8 offers before settling for an amount that was $3,500,000.00 more than the defense initially wanted to pay our client.

$65,000 Settlement for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) – 2024

In 2022, our client was injured in a trip-and-fall accident while taking a scheduled break from work. She was walking along a cracked and uneven walkway immediately outside her place of employment when she tripped and fell forward, striking her chest, hand, knee, and elbow.

The fall severely aggravated her pre-existing cervical and lumbar stenosis. She also developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in her right leg, a debilitating condition that caused intense, chronic pain and swelling and made everyday activities more difficult. Our client required extensive physical therapy and faced a projected two-level spinal fusion surgery.

Because the accident happened outside our client’s workplace, we investigated who was responsible for maintaining the walkway. Both the building owners and the municipality initially denied liability. The building owners offered $10,000, while the city offered $25,000. Our firm rejected the combined $35,000 in offers and filed a lawsuit.

Once litigation began, we conducted extensive discovery to determine who was responsible for the condition of the walkway. We retained surveying experts, investigated the property, reviewed title records, and took numerous depositions. Both defendants continued to argue that the other party was solely responsible for maintaining the walkway.

Our investigation and expert testimony showed that although the land was publicly owned, the commercial entity operating on the property also had a legal obligation to maintain the surrounding walkways. By establishing that both parties shared responsibility, we were able to bring the building owners and the municipality into the case as codefendants.

That changed the value of the case. The building owners increased their offer from $10,000 to $25,000, while the city increased its offer from $25,000 to $40,000. In 2024, we ultimately secured a total settlement of $65,000 for our client for the injuries she sustained, including CRPS.

Contact Us About CRPS Settlement Claims

If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome after an accident, you deserve a legal team that understands the seriousness of your condition and will fight for the full value of your case. CRPS can be life-altering, and securing fair compensation is often essential to long-term care and stability.

At Abrahamson & Uiterwyk, we have successfully handled CRPS claims and recovered significant settlements for clients suffering from chronic pain and nerve damage. Contact us today to speak with a car accident lawyer, for a free consultation to discuss your options and learn how we can help you move forward with confidence.

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