Valuing a Spinal Cord Injury Claim in New Hampshire

The Spectrum of Spinal Injuries

Spinal injuries vary enormously. At one end are herniated discs and soft tissue injuries that cause significant pain but may improve with treatment. At the other are spinal cord injuries causing partial or complete paralysis, which permanently alter every aspect of a person's life. The compensation appropriate for each is correspondingly different.

What unites them is that insurers tend to underestimate spinal injuries, especially those that do not show dramatically on imaging or whose long-term consequences emerge over time. Documenting the true severity and trajectory of the injury is essential to a fair valuation.

What Goes Into the Value

Valuing a serious spinal injury claim requires accounting for past and future medical care, including surgery, rehabilitation, and ongoing treatment; lost income and reduced earning capacity; the cost of assistive equipment, home modifications, and personal care for catastrophic injuries; and the profound impact on quality of life. For permanent injuries, these figures can be very large.

Expert input — from treating physicians, life-care planners, and vocational and economic specialists — often establishes the future costs so the settlement reflects a lifetime of need rather than only the expenses incurred so far.

Why Patience Protects Value

Settling a spinal injury claim before the long-term prognosis is clear risks leaving the injured person to cover costs that should have been part of the recovery. Because a signed release ends the claim permanently, resisting pressure to settle early, and building the case with the right experts, protects the compensation a serious spinal injury truly requires.