The split second of a car accident can impact someone for a lifetime of traumatic distress and damages. Serious car collisions can leave victims with debilitating sciatic nerve pain, one of more than 100 nerve injuries that result in costly medical expenses and expensive physical therapy, along with the pain and suffering that comes with it.
If you are the victim of a car accident and need to know the average settlement for your sciatic nerve pain injury, Barrios Virgüez will help you fight for the maximum compensation you deserve in your lawsuit. Our car accident attorney will discuss the details of the case and answer any of the questions you may have.
What Is Sciatic Nerve Pain?
Sciatic nerve pain, or sciatica, is caused by an injury or irritation to the sciatic nerve, the longest and thickest nerve in the body that starts in the gluteal area. It is no wonder that damage to the sciatic nerve can wreak havoc on the body, as it is made up of five nerve roots:
- Two from the lumbar spine or lower back
- Three from the sacrum at the base of the lumbar vertebrae connected to the pelvis
All five sciatic nerve roots meet to form on the right and left side of the body through your hips, your buttocks, and down each leg to just below the knee, where it branches into other nerves, and your foot and toes.
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What Are the Types of Nerve Damage Injuries?
Your body’s network of nerves is responsible for thousands of functions every second of every day.
Nerve damage injuries after a car accident occur when trauma stretches, pinches, smashes, or slices a nerve. Damage to any of these three types of nerves can greatly impact your quality of life in the days ahead:
- Autonomic nerves, which control the involuntary functions of your body, like blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature regulation.
- Sensory nerves that control pain and senses, relaying those sensations to your brain and spinal cord.
- Motor nerves, which control all movements of your body.
Are There Degrees of Nerve Damage Injuries?
Yes, and in the case of personal injury settlements, nerve damage is categorized into these three degrees based on the level of the victim’s symptoms, pain, and road to recovery:
- Neurapraxia, which is the least severe, is when the nerve is still intact and typically recovers from injuries.
- Axonotmesis, a more serious injury, is when the structure of the nerve has been damaged and may result in long-term or permanent paralysis.
- Neurotmesis, or the most traumatic of the three nerve injuries, is when the nerve is severed, and damage is permanent.
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What Are the Typical Symptoms of Sciatic Nerve Damage?
After a car accident, you may experience more than 100 types of nerve damage symptoms, which varies patient to patient. The challenge is that it may be difficult to determine if the symptoms are nerve damage from the accident or just common back pain aches, so it is best to seek medical attention right away.
The more common symptoms include:
- Burning
- Spasms
- Tingling
- Severe pain
- Twitching
- Paralysis
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What Causes Sciatic Nerve Damage After a Car Accident?
Sciatic nerve damage after a car crash is usually caused by the force of impact when a victim’s body is thrown against the vehicle’s steering wheel, dashboard, door, or more.
Nerve damage from back injuries is one of the most common auto accident injuries, with bulging or herniated discs compressing a nerve, resulting in a pinched nerve, spinal cord damage, even paralysis, or other chronic conditions.
How Is the Value of a Sciatic Nerve Damage Settlement in a Car Accident Determined?
As you can expect, car accident settlements can widely vary because of the many factors that contribute to the accident victim’s nerve damage.
The primary factors that determine the sciatic nerve settlement value of a car accident include medical costs, how severe the injury is, the level of pain and suffering, the extent of clear liability, and the amount of available insurance.
Medical Care Costs
The amount of your settlement will depend on the cost of your medical treatment now and in the future for long-term nerve damage. The types of medical treatment that can be covered in a personal injury claim include:
- Ambulance fees
- Hospital and doctor’s bills
- Surgery
- Prescription medicine
The Severity of the Nerve Injury
This is measured by the amount of physical pain, medical care, permanent damage suffered by the victim, and how much their life has changed because of the nerve injury. An insurance adjuster and personal injury attorney will further look into how frequently the pain occurs and how it is impacting your ability to perform daily functions, work, or hobbies.
Pain and Suffering
This non-economic damage does not necessarily have a price tag but certainly still holds value in a settlement when it comes to physical and emotional distress, physical aches and pain, mental trauma, and a lower quality of life. Because pain and suffering can be more difficult to prove financially, it is imperative to have a car accident attorney fight for the amount of damages you are owed.
Clear Liability
How likely will the other driver be found liable at trial for your car accident that resulted in sciatic nerve pain? The clearer the liability is proven through evidence gathered by an attorney, the larger the settlement.
Amount of Insurance Coverage
Typically, a personal injury claim will be filed against the at-fault driver’s car insurance policy to recover the necessary compensation. However, if the driver’s policy limit is not enough to cover all damages, a victim may have to file a lawsuit.
What Is the Average Sciatic Nerve Pain Settlement After a Car Accident?
Settlements vary by the factors of the car accident and the severity of the nerve injury, but, in general, an accident victim can expect $15,000 to $75,000 for milder nerve damages and receive from $100,000 up to millions of dollars.
How Can a Personal Injury Attorney Help in Your Sciatic Nerve Pain Settlement?
If you have suffered from sciatic nerve pain damage after a car accident because of another driver’s negligence, an attorney from the team at Barrios Virgüez will be able to review all aspects of your case, gather the evidence needed to prove you deserve a larger settlement to cover your expenses for your pain and suffering. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Call or text 678-888-2222 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form