Settlements for concussions in Denver, Colorado can be anywhere from $10,000 to $300,000 – or more. It all comes down to how severe your concussion was, who caused it, and how your life was affected by it.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the essential information you need if you suffered a concussion in a Denver car accident.
Getting Started: The Negative Impacts of a Car-Accident Concussion
Concussions are brain injuries that are often misunderstood or underestimated. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury. Generally speaking, brain injuries are amongst the most severe types of injuries. The reason is that brain injuries can cause long-term or life-long damages.
Suffering a concussion or other brain injury in a car accident could cause a wide range of negative impacts, including:
- Inability to work, which means diminished earning potential
- Limitations on their scope or nature of work
- Decreased intellectual capabilities
- Physical constraints
- Loss of basic muscular or cognitive functions
- Loss of independence
Signs and Symptoms to Watch for After Suffering a Concussion
- Loss of consciousness (even if for a short amount of time, this calls for immediate medical attention)
- Having one pupil larger than the other
- Feeling more tired and drowsy than usual
- Being completely unable to wake up for an extended period of time
- A headache that persists
- Or gets worse over time
- Difficulty speaking clearly or at all (slurring or mumbling)
- weakness and numbness
- Poor coordination
- Lingering nausea
- Frequent vomiting
- Convulsions
- Seizures
- Uncontrollable shaking or twitching
- Noticeable behavior changes
- Confusion
- Restlessness and irritability
How Much Compensation Can I Get From a Concussion Settlement in Denver?
There’s no formula to calculate an exact number for a concussion settlement. That said, if your concussion has severely impacted your life, you could be entitled to seek a sizable damages.
Even a minor concussion should be worth a minimum of $10,000-$15,000. If your concussion worsened over time or caused lingering issues, you could be looking at a much higher amount.
To get an idea of how much your concussion settlement could be worth, consider the following:
- Who is at fault for my concussion?
- How do i prove they were at fault (i.e., negligent)
- How severe was my concussion?
- What testing did I get to prove the concussion?
- What medical treatment did I receive?
- Did it get worse or cause secondary complications?
- What is the full extent of my monetary loss from this injury? (examples: medical bills, lost income, property damage, etc.)
- What types of non-economic damages did I suffer, and how much is that worth? (we will explain non-economic damages in further detail later).
What if My Concussion Worsens Over Time?
They key to determining the value of your concussion settlement is clearly defining two factors:
- Proving the at-fault party’s negligence
- And the degree of of severity of your concussion
As we mentioned earlier, concussions are too often thought of as a mere loss of consciousness. But that’s far from the truth; a concussion is a serious brain injury that can be the root cause of a secondary or worsening traumatic brain injury.
What might initially appear to be a concussion can inconspicuously worsen or lead to a more severe brain injury. Examples include:
- a prolonged concussion
- Behavioral changes that affect the your ability to live life independently or as you did before the injury
- Impacts on mood and emotions
- Changes in vision, perception, and sensation
- Limited range of movement or mobility
- Reduced cognitive and mental functionality
How Do You Measure the Severity of a Concussion?
Concussions are measured in the medical field using the Glasgow Coma Scale. This scale measures the severity of a concussion (or other brain injury) on a scale of 3 to 15. The lower the score, the more severe the injury.
How Do We Define Damages in a Concussion Settlement?
What are damages in a concussion settlement? In Denver, there are two primary categories for damages you can seek in a personal injury claim: economic and non-economic. You need to know exactly what damages (or losses) you incurred to find out how much your settlement is worth.
Economic Losses
Economic damages are ones that you can quantify. The more severe a concussion you experienced, the more your economic damages will likely be. The same goes for non-economic damages. But first, let’s examine different types of economic damages.
Medical Costs
You can seek reimbursement for any medical bills that you had to deal with from the accident. Medical bills include hospital and ER fees, ambulance costs, doctors visits, and more. Hospitals rarely send you a small invoice. You’ll need adequate compensation to help you cover the bills you racked up from having to get medical treatment for your injury.
In addition to medical costs, you can also recover damage compensation for property damage. If the other party was negligent and caused your accident, you now have grounds to file a personal injury claim for all of these damages.
You may also experience major lifestyle changes if you experienced a severe concussion. If you need a wheelchair or some other sort of medical equipment to aid you in daily living, you can count that as a recoverable damage.
Lost Income and Reduced Earning Capacity
You can recover lost income if you missed work or are unable to return to work due to the concussion. If you cannot return to the same position because the concussion has affected you so severely, that’s considered a reduced earning capacity. That is also a recoverable damage.
Therapy and Rehabilitation
Brain injuries often require extended or follow-up care. If you experienced a concussion, your treatment won’t end when you leave the hospital. You’ll likely need to go to follow-up doctors visits for additional testing to ensure you don’t have any serious brain damage. You might also need therapy and rehabilitation. Common types of rehabilitation we see clients undergo after a car accident concussion include occupational therapy, physical therapy, or speech therapy.
In-Home or Assistive Care
If you’re struggling to do simple tasks and cannot function independently after the concussion, you may require assistive care. When a brain injury or concussion results in you being unable to do every-day basic tasks like showering and cooking, you will need assistance. And you can recover for that cost as well.
Pain and Suffering (Non-economic Damages)
Sometimes the damages are not just the obvious ones, especially in cases involving brain injuries. A person could experience pain and suffering after a car accident concussion. These are considered non-economic damages because they don’t have a cost. You have to assess the degree of your pain and suffering and work with a Denver Brain Injury Attorney to come up with a reasonable figure.
Some examples of pain and suffering damages you could claim in a Denver concussion settlement are:
- Emotional distress
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Depression
- Diminished quality of life
- Negative impacts on your relationships
Who Is Responsible for Paying for My Denver Car Accident Concussion Damages?
Now that we’ve covered what type of damages you can claim, you may be wondering who is going to compensate you? This will vary depending on your insurance and the other party’s insurance. There could even be an instance where the other party does not have insurance or has insufficient coverage.
If you’re eligible to receive a sizable amount of money but the other party doesn’t have insurance, where do these funds come from? In this case, your only other option is to make a claim on your own Uninsured Motorist policy. If you do not carry UM, then you are limited to what coverage the at-fault driver has.
Requirements for Winning a Concussion Settlement
The most important requirements for having a strong claim are:
- Proving fault (to establish liability)
- Gathering strong evidence to support your claim
- And having a talented lawyer who specializes in concussion claims
Contact an Experienced Colorado Car Accident Lawyer Near You
Our Colorado car accident lawyers specialize in concussion claims. We have handled countless concussion claims and know what to do. We know how to help you get treatment for what you have gone through and how to maximize your claim. We will be there with you at every step of your journey.
We offer a free initial consultation, so contact us today.
