| Read Time: 5 minutes | Medical Malpractice
average payout for nerve damage

Nerve damage can have a lasting impact on your ability to live your life the way you want. If you are such a victim, you may wonder, What is the average payout for nerve damage?

Nerve damage settlement lawsuits can provide compensation to accident victims.

At Poulos & Coates, LLP, our experienced attorneys have successfully obtained compensation on behalf of countless clients.

With our help, you can effectively pursue a sciatic nerve damage settlement, peroneal nerve damage settlement, or pinched nerve settlement to ensure you are fairly compensated for what you have been through.

How Do Courts Determine the Average Payout for Nerve Damage?

Determining the average settlement for nerve damage can be complex due to the unique nature of each case. However, in cases of nerve damage, compensation can vary widely.

For mild to moderate nerve injuries, settlements may range from a few thousand dollars to five figures. In more severe injury cases, settlements can surpass $100,000 and, in the most extreme cases, reach into the millions.

The available compensation in a nerve damage lawsuit typically depends on a few factors.

First, as a general rule, the more severe a victim’s injuries, the higher the amount of compensation they can recover.

Also, where the nerve damage is located matters because damage in certain areas may be more challenging to live with.

Here’s an example of two people suffering from nerve damage

Joe has sciatic damage that negatively impacts approximately half of his body in his back and lower extremities.

Jane has nerve damage that affects her left hand, and she is right-handed.

Joe’s sciatic nerve damage settlement may be more than the average payout for nerve damage. It might be significantly more than Jane’s settlement for nerve damage in her hand. But keep in mind that there are always exceptions.

For instance, if Jane was a world-renowned concert pianist, her losses might be valued more highly. 

Generally, when assessing the severity of an injury, your lawyer would assess the following potential damages:

  • The cost of all reasonable necessary past and future medical treatment;
  • How much work you have missed in the past;
  • When you can return to work, if ever;
  • Any long-term effects of the nerve damage;
  • How your nerve damage affects your day-to-day life; and 
  • The extent of pain and suffering you are experiencing.  

Second, whether your actions played a role in causing your nerve damage can impact nerve damage settlement cases.

For example, if an insurance company faces a pinched nerve settlement claim, the insurance company will offer less money if the claimant’s actions contributed to their pinched nerve.

Finally, if a defendant acted with “willful or wanton” conduct, you may be eligible for punitive or exemplary damages, which can greatly increase your recovery amount.

Punitive damages are intended to punish a defendant for their particularly egregious actions. However, punitive damages are only available in limited and rare situations.  

Is It Hard to Prove Nerve Damage?

Proving that you have disabling nerve damage can be difficult. A doctor will have to do a thorough physical and neurological exam. During the exam, the doctor must keep a close eye out for the following.

The typical nerve damage symptoms are:

  • loss of sensation
  • muscle weakness
  • tingling sensation
  • decreased coordination

A nerve conduction velocity test may be critical to any exam investigating nerve damage. 

At Poulos & Coates, LLC our staff nurse can help you determine how to best prove your injuries to obtain a nerve damage settlement. When we investigate your potential lawsuit, there are never any upfront costs. 

Call us about your case so one of our nerve damage injury attorneys at Poulos & Coates can get to work. Call now at 575-523-4444

Can I Get Compensation for Nerve Damage After Surgery? 

You are likely entitled to compensation if a doctor’s negligence caused your nerve pain. Like with other personal injury claims, you will have to show that the doctor failed to act with reasonable prudence.

Further, you can suffer from over 100 different types of nerve damage, each of which carries a separate set of symptoms. Unique types of nerve damage also require distinct treatments.

All these factors will figure into how much you can be compensated for your injury. The average payout for nerve damage after surgery can also differ based on the injury’s location.

Nerve damage to different parts of the body

  • A settlement for nerve damage in a leg will take into account factors such as painful leg cramps, uncontrollable twitching, and muscle weakness. Tingling or loss of sensation in the leg is also a common issue. Severe injury can reduce a victim’s ability to walk, which impedes their work and quality of life.  
  • A settlement for nerve damage in a foot must consider issues including a loss of balance, severe stabbing, shooting, or burning pain, and tingling or loss of sensation in the foot. These injuries also affect a victim’s ability to work and interfere with their quality of life. 
  • A nerve damage in the hand lawsuit settlement should include compensation for an intense feeling of pain, tingling or loss of sensation, reduction in fine motor skills, or paralysis.
  • A loss of sensation in your hand dramatically increases the risk of severe burns. This type of nerve damage can be particularly troublesome for anyone who works with their hands. Performing tasks such as typing on a keyboard or using handheld tools can become extremely difficult. 
  • A settlement for nerve damage in the neck should account for any loss of feeling or numbness in one or more extremities, severe pain in the neck or other areas supplied by the nerve, and weakness in any part of the body.

The broad range of areas that can be affected by nerve damage in the neck means that the effects on a victim’s work and life can vary greatly. 

  • A sciatic nerve damage settlement needs to compensate for a victim’s severe pain, muscle weakness, or loss of sensation in any area along the nerve’s pathway. Sciatic nerve damage tends to affect the lower body and can also lead to a loss of bladder or bowel control. Sciatic nerve damage can have various effects on a victim’s life.

Sciatic Nerve Damage Settlements: Understanding Compensation After Accidents

Determining a settlement for sciatic nerve damage post-car accidents varies significantly. Generally, milder nerve damages may yield settlements ranging between $15,000 to $75,000. However, severe injuries could result in compensation reaching from $100,000 up to several million dollars, contingent upon the accident’s circumstances and the extent of nerve damage.

Have You Suffered Nerve Damage After a Medical Procedure?

If you or a loved one suffer from permanent nerve damage due to a medical provider’s negligence, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

At the New Mexico medical malpractice law firm of Poulos & Coates, LLP, we have more than 70 years of combined legal experience handling all types of nerve damage cases.

We can help you pursue a peroneal nerve damage settlement, phrenic nerve damage settlement, or a settlement for any other type of nerve damage you sustained.

To learn more and to schedule a free consultation, call Poulos & Coates, LLP, today at 575-523-4444. You can also connect with us through our online contact form

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Author Photo

Greig Coates, M.D., J.D.

Over the last thirty years, Dr. Coates has successfully represented plaintiffs in every conceivable type of medical malpractice lawsuit–from single-physician cases to complex litigation involving over a dozen doctors and several hospitals. Dr. Coates has taken several thousand physician depositions in his career involving every known physician specialty and sub-specialty, and almost as many depositions involving hospital personnel such as nurses, techs, and administrators. He has tried several dozen cases to successful verdicts.