What is the average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury?
The days that follow that dreadful car accident days are not your best days especially if you are at fault for the car accident. If you are not at fault, you are probably already thinking if the damages or compensation you are about to recover will cover all your losses or not.
Some of the questions you could have on your mind are, what is the average settlement for a car accident’s personal injuries? Will my partial blame for the accident affect my settlement?
Do you need to hire a car accident attorney or not? How much will you spend on a personal injury attorney? How long will it take to get your settlement? Will the insurance company accept your claim or will trash it? And how much is the average settlement in your state or country?
The settlement that will be awarded to you for your neck and back injury will depend on many factors like the severity of the injuries, the Jury handling your case, the expertise of your attorneys, and others. The average settlement for back and neck injury could range from $10,000 to $150,000 or more
Each state has its guidelines and settlement caps for pain and suffering. This means what is awarded in one state could be different from another victim in a different state. Read on to find out exactly how average settlement differs.
This is a relatively long article and I do hope some of you do not need to read the whole of it. Go through the contents below and read only the sections that apply to you as an individual. Alright, here you go
Page Contents
National statistics for neck and back injury
According to available data, whiplash is one of the commonest injuries in car accidents. It is usually caused by injuries due to rear-end collisions. Whiplash is extremely painful but usually heals within days or a few weeks. Each year, more than 2 million people in the USA suffer whiplash injuries.
You have more than 36-70% risk of suffering whiplash injuries if you were driving at low car speeds, while the risk of experiencing neck injuries is more than 50%.
Neck injuries or cervical injuries are very common in car accidents because your neck will most likely forcefully jerk backward and forward, or jerk from one side to another. It may also be hit against a nearby object or flying debris resulting in injuries. In the USA, more than 90% of rear-end collisions result in neck pains or injuries.
According to the National projections of the number of car accident fatalities, it is estimated that 20% of car accident deaths had cases of cervical injuries.
Back injuries are also common in car accidents because your back acts as a shock absorber of pressure and force during any high-impact car accident. The Orthopedic surgeon I consulted estimated that more than 40% of spinal cord injuries he treats every year are caused by car accidents.
Lumbar spine strains and sprains are also common forms of back injuries in car accidents. The sheer force and pressure in the car accident force overstretching or tearing of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your back leading to severe pains.
Other body parts that are most likely to get injured in a car accident include the following:
- Legs
- Arms
- Head
- Ankles
- Wrists and others.
For your information, the 4 most causes of car accidents are:
- Overspeeding
- Driving under the influence (DUI)
- Driver distractions eg texting, operating car radio, etc
- Overrunning traffic lights
- Failure to use safety gears
- And other forms of negligent driving
NECK AND BACK INJURY AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR Wheeler Accidents
There mainly 4 types of motor vehicle accidents and these include:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Commercial vehicle accidents and
- 18-wheeler accidents.
In simple terms, you get an 18-wheeler if you connect or add several trailers onto a truck. According to physics, the momentum of an object depends on 2 factors ie the weight of the object and how fast the object is moving.
Momentum = Mass x speed.
A small personal car has less momentum compared to let’s say a truck and at worst an 18-wheeler.
The impact and severity of any car crash are determined by the speed of the car and how heavy the car is. Simply put high momentum causes severe and fatal accidents. If you were involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler, it should be a miracle that you are still alive because many people do not survive and those who do have their lives changed forever.
People who are involved in wheeler accidents are usually entitled to damages like:
- Special damages like medical bills, lost income, lost ability to work, lost wages, and property damages.
- General damages like pain and suffering, disability damages, mental anguish, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other psycho-social effects of motor accidents.
If you sustained injuries and other losses due to a Truck or wheeler accident, you should expect an average settlement of $1,520,000 with the median settlement being around $720,000.
Truck and other wheeler accident settlements are higher compared to other car accidents because:
- Such vehicles cause devasting injuries and other property damage.
- Most accident victims die or sustain life-limiting injuries.
- Truck drivers are considered professional drivers and therefore punitive damages are very high.
- Some Juries decide on settlement depending on the economic status of the defendants. Truck owners are considered to be doing well economically compared to passenger drivers.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR Slip & Fall Accidents
Slip and fall are events where a person slips and falls, and in the process sustains injuries as a result. The most common causes of slip and fall accidents are:
- Wet surfaces
- Loose floorboards
- Defective sidewalks
- Defective carpeting
- Recently mopped or waxed floors etc.
The 5 commonest places where slip and fall accidents occur include the following:
- Parking lots
- Sidewalks
- Escalators and elevators
- Stairs
- Grocery, shopping malls, and restaurants
Settlement for slip and fall accident accidents varies from state to state, and also depends on the severity of the injuries sustained. A person who sustains injuries due to slip and fall accidents may be entitled to the following compensation:
- Medical bills
- Your lost wages and
- other accident-related damages like pain and suffering.
Victims of personal injuries due to slip and fall accidents should expect settlements between $10,000 and $50,000. But of course, your case will be evaluated differently and could fetch less or more than the stated average. Your attorney will assess your case and compute what your case is worth.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR Work-Related Accidents
Work-related accidents can be defined as any unintended event that occurs in the course of your work that results in personal injuries. The 5 common workplace injuries include the following:
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Being struck by moving machinery
- Car related accidents
- Fire and or explosions
- Overexertion personal injuries.
The average settlement for back and neck injuries due to workplace-related accidents is $148,750 with a median settlement of around $153,000. The average settlement varies from state to state and also depends on the gravity of your accident and how sharp is your injury attorney.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY in Alabama
Founded on December 14, 1819, Alabama whose capital city is Montgomery has a population of more than 4.8 million people. It is a southeastern state whose northern border is Tennessee, and the eastern border is Georgia.
In 2019, there were 159,102 total crashes in the state of Alabama which resulted in 46,000 injuries. In the same year, 851 fatal car accidents resulted in 930 deaths.
The average settlement for car accident neck and back injuries in Alabama is $414,467, with a median settlement of around $350,000. The highest-ever settlement was due to a truck accident which settled for $1,000,000.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY in ALASKA
Having been founded on January 3, 1959, Alaska is a state found in the western part of the United States of America. This state whose capital city is Juneau covers 1.723 million km² in size with a population of about 736,990 people.
As of the 2020 report, the total number of car accidents in Alaska was around 12,500 per year and this results in more than 60 deaths. The average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury in Alaska is $572,418 with a median settlement of $270,000.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN ARIZONA
According to a 2020 report, Arizona whose capital is Phoenix has a total population of 7.174 million. The cost of living in Arizona is much cheaper than in the neighboring states of Nevada and California.
There are 2,371,199 commercial and private cars in Arizona, and the number of publicly owned cars is 71,311. There are more than 125,000 car accidents annually in the state of Arizona that results in many deaths throughout the year.
The average settlement for car accident neck and back injuries in Arizona is around $1,377,833, with a median settlement of $500,000. These numbers are higher than the average settlement seen in the state of Alaska.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN ARKANSAS
Arkansas is a landlocked state located centrally in the southern part of the united states of America. With a population of over 3.012 million, the capital of Arkansas is called Little Rock. The neighboring borders of Arkansas are as follows: Tennesse and Mississippi to the east, Missouri to the north Texas and Oklahoma to the west, and finally Louisiana to the south.
According to 2016 data, there were over 942,604 commercial and private automobiles in the city of Arkansas. The number of yearly car accidents in the city of Arkansas is approximately 62,729. Simple maths will reveal to you that there is a car accident in the state of Arkansas after every 8 minutes and 20 minutes.
The average settlement for car accident neck and back injuries in the state of Arkansas is around $266,667, with a median settlement of around $157,500.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN CALIFORNIA
As US western state, California stretches for almost 900 miles from the Mexican border along the pacific ocean. Some of the unique physical features of California include the following:
- Redwood forest
- Clif-lined beaches
- Mojave Desert
- Central valley farmland and
- Sierra Nevada mountains.
With a population of over 39 million people, The capital city is known as Sacramento. California is the state in the USA with the highest number of registered automobiles. According to this site, there were more than 14.2 million registered automobiles in the year 2020. Texas has the highest number of registered vehicles at more than 8 million vehicles.
Approximately, there are over 200,000 automobile accidents yearly in California. If you add every minor accident or unreported car crash, it is estimated that California experiences more than 500,000 automobile crashes yearly.
According to the 2020 data, they were more than 35,766 fatal accidents in the USA. With more than 3,558 fatal crashes, California had the highest number of car accidents, followed by washing DC which had only 34 fatal car crashes.
Having that said, the average settlement for car accident neck and back injury in California is close to $1,728,491, with a median settlement of $1,535,500.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN COLORADO
In 2017, there were more than 1.8 million registered private and commercial automobiles in Colorado. With a population of 5.9 million people, Colorado covers an area of 104,094 Square miles and ranks the 8th largest state in the USA.
The average number of fatal car accidents in Colorado is 606. Colorado had more than 488 fatal accidents in 2014, and 597 fatal accidents in 2019 which are slightly lower than the usual average car accidents.
If you are living in Colorado and just had a car accident, the average settlement for a car accident with neck and back injury in Colorado is $179,267. The median car accident settlement in Colorado is around $100,000.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN CONNECTICUT
As of 2010 data, there were 1,973,586 registered vehicles and 65,199 motorcycles in Connecticut. Covering over 5,567 sq miles, Connecticut is the 29th most populous state with a population of approximately 3.61 million people.
In Connecticut, the number of car accident deaths toll increased in 2020 by over 19%. According to 2020 data, there were 303 motor-vehicle accident deaths compared to the average of 254 deaths in the previous 3 years.
The average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury in Connecticut is $230,344, with a median settlement amount of $238,000. The highest-ever car accident settlement was $410,000 offered to a woman who sustained injuries in a collision while driving her car back home.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN DELAWARE
Data from the year 2017 report shows that there were 447,007 registered automobiles in Delaware. There have been more than 33 fatalities in 29 crashes reported in Delaware. This number is higher than 17 fatality car crashes that were registered in the last year 2021.
The average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury in Delaware is $350,787, with a median settlement amount close to $100,000. The highest-ever car accident settlement for neck and back injuries in Delaware was $3,200,000 which was paid for personal injuries sustained from a multi-vehicle car accident.
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AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN FLORIDA
The number of private and commercial automobiles in Florida is roughly more than 7,670,861. In the same vein, the number of publicly owned vehicles in Florida is more than 283,100 vehicles.
TOTAL CAR ACCIDENTS IN FLORIDA
The year 2020 = 341,399 car accidents.
The year 2021 = 401,170 car accidents
July 2022 = 194,632 car accidents.
According to 2020 data, there were an average of 933 car accidents in Florida daily. These accidents claimed 3,332 lives and caused more than 15,614 incapacitating bodily injuries.
The average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury in Florida is $965,562, with a median settlement of $274,434. The highest-ever car accident settlement was $8,000,000 paid out to a plaintiff who suffered a broken neck after being rear-ended by a garbage truck.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN GEORGIA
According to Statista, the total number of automobiles in Georgia is around 3, 538, 180. According to the same source, there are 3,485,821 private and commercial vehicles, and 52,359 publicly owned vehicles in the state of Georgia.
The most recent car accident data in Georgia come from the year 2021. According to the data, more than 70 drivers were hurt in car accidents every hour which translates to over 1,700 car accidents daily and more than 600,000 bodily injuries in the year.
The average settlement amount for car accident neck and back injuries in Georgia is $206,667, with a median settlement amount of $200,000. The highest-recorded settlement amount was $350,000 for a car accident plaintiff who needed more than one back surgery following a rear-end collision.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN HAWAII
As of 2017, there were more than 517,544 total automobiles in Hawaii. Of those, 508,549 were private and commercial vehicles, and 8,005 were publicly owned vehicles.
According to statistics, there are more than 10,000 serious car accidents yearly in Hawaii. Besides improved awareness and increased safety on the road, car accidents still claim more deaths compared to other personal injuries in Hawaii.
The average settlement amount for car accident neck and back injuries in Hawaii is $2,006,000. The median settlement amount is $950,000. The largest car accident settlement reported in Hawaii was $6,200,000 awarded to a man who broke his back after a 15-20 foot fall that occurred at a country club.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN IDAHO
According to Statista, there are more than 608,902 registered automobiles in Idaho. As of 2017 data, the number of private and commercial vehicles stood at 607,599, whereas they are more than 2,403 publicly owned vehicles in Idaho.
Currently, the population of Idaho stands at 1,847,772 people, and the number of car accident deaths in the year 2020 was 214 people. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, the first nine months of 2021 saw 206 traffic deaths compared to 151 deaths in the year 2020 in Idaho.
The average settlement amount for car accident neck and back injuries in Idaho is $740,750, and the median settlement amount stands at $362,500. In Idaho, the highest ever recorded car accident settlement was $3,000,000 awarded to a victim who suffered spinal cord injuries due to a truck accident.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY ILLINOIS
As of 2018 data, Illinois had 34,359 total buses, and more than 4,617,096 both private and commercial vehicles. In the year 2020, there were more than 246,752 car crashes in Illinois. In the same year, the approximate number of hourly deaths due to car accidents was more than 8 people.
The average settlement amount for car accident neck and back injuries in Illinois is $651,081. The median settlement amount is $720,000. The highest recorded car accident settlement was $1,400,000 awarded to a plaintiff who required back surgery after a rear-end collision with a truck.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN INDIANA
In 2017, there were more than 2,340,172 total automobiles in Indiana. The number of private and commercial vehicles was more than 2,337,229, and the number of publicly owned vehicles stood at more than 30,000 vehicles.
In the state of Indiana, the number of car crashes in 2020 was 1,33,201, and the number increased to 1,55,622 fatal car crashes in 2021. It is also estimated that more than 3,71,884 people in Indiana were injured in car crashes.
The average settlement amount for a car accident neck and back injury in Indiana is $451,467, with a median settlement amount of $250,000. In Indiana, the highest personal injury settlement was $1,350,000 awarded to a plaintiff who suffered injuries due to a slip and fall accident.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IOWA
In 2016, the total number of automobiles registered in Iowa was more than 4,341,801. In the same year, the total number of trucks was more than 961,328.
The average number of car accidents in the 5 years ie 2017-2021 in Iowa was around 335. The year 2020 had a slightly higher number of car accidents at 343.
On the same note, the average settlement amount for a car accident neck and back injury in Iowa is $309,479, and the median settlement is $132,750. The highest settlement I discovered was $1,670,000 awarded to the plaintiff who suffered spinal injuries and soft tissue injuries due to a roll-over car accident.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN KANSAS
The total number of automobiles in Kansas is around 872,195, while all motor vehicles add up to 30,548. In Kansas, the most popular car is a Ford F-150, which forms 7.4% of the second-hand cars being driven in Kansas.
According to preliminary data from the Kansas Department of Transportation, there were 425 car accident deaths in 2021. From the same data source, traffic accident deaths increased by 1% from the previous year 2020.
Having that said, the average settlement amount for car accident neck and back injuries in Kansas is $1,670,133, with a median settlement of $340,000. The highest car accident settlement registered in Kansas was $20,000,000 which was awarded to a lady whose car was T-boned as she crossed a highway. This settlement was later reduced to $1.2million after the lady was found to have partly contributed to the car accident.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN KENTUCKY
According to 2017 data, the total number of registered automobiles in Kentucky was 1,713,590. In the same year, the number of private and commercial vehicles was 1,680,846, and the total number of publicly owned vehicles was 32,744.
It is estimated that Kentucky experiences more than 150,000 automobile accidents yearly, of which 25,000 car accidents resulted in passenger injuries and 724 were fatal accidents.
If you live in Kentucky, the average settlement for car accident neck and back injuries is close to $365,733. The median settlement amount is $125,000. The highest settlement amount ever recorded for a car accident in Kentucky was $2,100,000, awarded to a plaintiff who sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN LOUISIANA
As of 2017 data, there were more than 1,425,349 registered automobiles in Louisiana. Private and commercial vehicles constituted of
1,395,694 and the total number of publicly owned vehicles was more than 29,655.
In 2022, there were more than 914 car accidents and more than 997 deaths due to car accidents in Louisiana. This was a higher figure compared to the year 2007 with 993 deaths.
The average settlement for car accident neck and back injury in Louisiana is $4,387,491, with a median settlement amount of $1,045,000. The highest amount of settlement recorded was $35,454,366 awarded to a driver who was involved in a car accident with a commercial vehicle. The driver sustained spinal injuries and severe paralysis due to the car accident.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN MAINE
According to a 2018 data report, there were more than 384,228 private and commercial vehicles, and more than 15,571 publicly owned vehicles in Maine.
In 2018, 51,016 vehicles were involved in 32,713 traffic crashes in Maine. From the same report, lane departure contributed to 9,051 crashes while speeding caused at least 4,989 car accidents.
The average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury in Maine is $242,567, with a median settlement amount of $200,000. The highest settlement amount for a car accident in Maine is $600,000 awarded to a nurse who required spinal surgery after her car was hit by another vehicle.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN MARYLAND
In 2017, there were more than 1,976,021 automobiles in Maryland. There were more than 1,946,027 private and commercial vehicles, while publicly owned vehicles constituted 29,994 vehicles.
In 2020, there were more than 115,995 car accidents in Maryland whereby there were more than 496 fatal crashes, 32,928 injury crashes, and 82,561 resulted in property damages.
The average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury in Maryland is $397,253, and the median settlement amount is $300,000. The largest car accident settlement was $1,700,000 awarded to a plaintiff who required back surgery due to personal injuries suffered during the car accident.
AVERAGE SETTLEMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENT NECK AND BACK INJURY IN Massachusetts
In 2010, the number of motor vehicles in Massachusetts was 3,122,244, whereas there were 159,000 motorcycles. There were 336 total car accidents in 2019. The number of car accidents in Massachusetts in 2019 was a little less compared to the last 5-year average of 353.8 car crashes in the same state.
The average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury in Massachusetts is $171,883. The median settlement coverage is $100,000. The largest car accident settlement recorded in Massachusetts is $475,000 awarded to a plaintiff who suffered herniated and degenerative discs and required surgery.
As shown in this article, average car accident settlement varies from state to state, and also depends on so many factors. In some states where there is a comparative negligence system, your final settlement could be reduced by the percentage of your blame in the car accident.
I already highlighted probably in my previous articles how hiring a car accident attorney significantly raises your chance of getting a higher offer compared to when no personal injury lawyer is hired. Do not expect any insurance company to hand you a check worth over million dollars unless you hired a competent attorney.
Ignoring hiring a car accident attorney makes you miss out on other damages you may be entitled to. For instance, you may not know that your spouse or children are entitled to receive certain damages once you are negligently damaged by another party.
In conclusion. The answer to the question, What is the average settlement for a car accident neck and back injury? is that, it depends on the extent of injuries you sustained, the state you come from, the jurors handling your case, and whether you hired a car accident attorney or not.
