Suffering from a whiplash injury due to someone else's negligence can be a traumatic and life-altering experience. Most whiplash injuries result from a vehicle crash. There is an average of 16,438 car accidents every day in the United States. Whether you were involved in a rear-end collision, a side-impact crash, or a rollover accident, the physical pain and emotional distress caused by a whiplash injury can be overwhelming.
As you focus on your recovery, you may also be faced with mounting medical bills, lost wages, and other accident-related expenses. Filing a personal injury claim can help you obtain the compensation you need to cover these costs and move forward with your life. But you may be wondering, What is the average settlement payout for a whiplash injury?
Whiplash settlements can vary widely depending on the specifics of your case. Whiplash settlements can vary widely depending on the specifics of your case. An experienced car accident lawyer will review your accident to determine if you are eligible to file a whiplash claim.
What Is The Average Settlement Payout For A Whiplash Injury?
Generally, an average whiplash injury settlement payout amount can range from $10,000 to $100,000 for minor cases, or even $1 million to $5 million for life-altering cases of whiplash disability or injuries.
What Is a Whiplash Injury?
To know if you qualify for a whiplash injury claim, you first must understand what a whiplash injury is.
Whiplash is an injury that affects your neck. As we mentioned above, most whiplash injuries are the result of a car accident. The impact of the crash forces your neck backward and forward, which can injure the tendons, discs, muscles, and nerves in your neck. This can occur when one car strikes another, likely from the back or the side.
This type of neck injury can cause you to suffer from various symptoms, such as neck pain and stiffness, sleeplessness, blurred vision, and dizziness.
If you feel you fall into this category, you should consider hiring a car accident lawyer who has experience handling whiplash claims to handle your personal injury case.
Regardless of how the whiplash injury occurred, if it was due to someone else's negligence or intentional actions, the injured party may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury claim.
What Is the Average Settlement for Whiplash Injury Cases From A Car Accident?
A personal injury settlement is filed when your insurance can no longer pay for all of the medical costs, lost wages, and property damages that occurred from the car accident.
This allows you to sue the person at fault or the insurance company to cover for the damages.
Generally, whiplash injury settlement payouts range from:
- $10,000 to $100,000 for minor cases
- $1 million to $5 million for life-altering cases
What Factors May Affect Your Whiplash Settlement Amount?
The average settlement payout for a whiplash injury can change depending on several factors.
- If your injury is more severe, you may be entitled to a higher settlement.
- If you broke bones because of the whiplash, you’ll have more medical bills and be out of work for a longer time. You may need several radiology tests, such as MRIs, X-Rays, or CAT scans.
- Neck and back injuries can be serious. If severe injuries will affect you for the rest of your life, you’ll get a higher payout. On the flip side, if your recovery time is quick and minor, your settlement will be much smaller.
- If you can prove negligence in your case, you’ll be much more likely to receive a settlement. This is why hiring a St Louis car accident lawyer is the best idea for local accidents to help get you what you deserve.
Each driver on the road has a duty of care to exercise caution for other drivers. If this duty of care was breached, you have a case, and you deserve a settlement for your whiplash injuries.
Negotiating with Insurance Companies: The Process of Securing Fair Whiplash Injury Settlements
When it comes to seeking compensation for a whiplash injury sustained in a car accident, dealing with insurance companies can be a daunting and frustrating experience. Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts and protect their company's bottom line, often at the expense of injured claimants.
An experienced personal injury attorney can help you navigate this complex process and secure a fair settlement.
Common Tactics Used by Insurance Companies
- Quick, Low-Ball Settlement Offers: Insurance adjusters may offer a quick settlement soon after the accident, hoping to take advantage of your financial distress and lack of knowledge about the full extent of your injuries. These offers are often significantly lower than what you deserve.
- Disputing Liability: Insurance companies may attempt to shift blame for the accident onto you or another party to reduce their financial responsibility.
- Minimizing Your Injuries: Adjusters may downplay the severity of your whiplash injury, arguing that it is a minor or pre-existing condition.
- Requesting Unnecessary Information: Insurance companies may ask for an excessive amount of documentation or irrelevant personal information to delay the claims process or find reasons to deny your claim.
- Pressuring You to Provide a Recorded Statement: Adjusters may ask you to provide a recorded statement about the accident and your injuries, which can be used against you later to undermine your claim.
Benefits of Hiring an Experienced Whiplash Injury Attorney
An experienced attorney can evaluate the full extent of your damages, including current and future medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other factors to determine a fair settlement amount. Your attorney can communicate with insurance adjusters on your behalf, protecting your rights and shielding you from tactics designed to minimize your payout.
A skilled attorney can gather the necessary evidence to support your claim, such as medical records, expert testimony, and accident reconstruction reports, and present it in a compelling manner during negotiations. Experienced whiplash injury attorneys understand the negotiation process and can use their skills to counter insurance company tactics and fight for a fair settlement.
If negotiations fail to yield a satisfactory settlement offer, your attorney can prepare your case for trial and represent you in court to pursue the compensation you deserve.
Find a Car Accident Whiplash Injury Lawyer Today
If you've been considering filing an auto accident lawsuit to recover fair compensation for your whiplash injury, it's wise to do your research ahead of time. Find a personal injury lawyer in your area to help with your case.
Reach out to our St Louis personal injury attorneys today at The Bruning Law Firm for a free consultation. We have experience with cases like yours and can help you receive the settlement payout that you deserve.
