It depends on a variety of factors, including:
- The severity of your spinal cord injury. Some spinal cord injuries are worse than others, in the sense that their outcomes vary. Some spinal cord injuries may inflict only temporary, and relatively minor, symptoms, such as weakness or numbness that resolves over time. Other spinal cord injuries result in permanent disruption of signals between the brain and the body, causing significant, lifelong paralysis. As a general matter, the more severe an injury, the greater the amount of money a person might hope to recover for it.
- The impact of the injury on your life. Similarly, the greater the impact of a spinal cord injury on a person’s life, the higher the damages a person might reasonably claim for it. Thus, for example, a young, previously-healthy and active person who suffers a spinal cord injury may command a greater amount of damages than a senior citizen who already struggled with limited mobility before the injury.
- The out-of-pocket costs associated with the injury. All spinal cord injuries tend to consume significant financial resources for medical costs. However, some victims of these injuries may require greater financial support than others, based entirely on subjective factors like their living situation, the availability of care in their area, and their day-to-day existence. The more money it costs to treat a Philadelphia spinal cord injury, and to restore the victim to a life of maximum independence and health, the higher the amount of money that person might recover via a lawsuit.
- Who has legal liability. Finally, the amount of money you might hope to recover from a Philadelphia spinal cord injury depends, as a practical matter, on who has a legal liability to you. A spinal cord injury inflicted because of the actions of a single individual who carries the minimum liability insurance and has few personal assets may lead to a lower-dollar recovery than an identical spinal cord injury inflicted by the careless actions of several individuals and businesses who, combined, carry millions in liability coverage and have lots of assets.
Speak with an experienced Philadelphia spinal cord injury attorney right away to determine how these factors may affect your right to compensation.