Being involved in a car accident can lead to various injuries, including serious nerve damage. Nerves control important bodily functions and a nerve injury can have significant physical, emotional, and financial impacts. If you suffered because of another driver’s negligence, you may want to consider a nerve damage from car accident settlement.

Types of Nerves that May be Damaged After Your Indiana Auto Accident

When you’ve been injured in an Indiana auto accident, you have 3 types of nerves that may sustain critical injuries for which you may be eligible to receive compensation. These include:

Autonomic nerves: Your autonomic nerves help your involuntary movements. These nerves help your bodily fluids, such as blood and saliva, to keep moving and stay stabilized. 

Motor nerves: Your motor nerves control your voluntary movements. These nerves work with your brain to control physical movements, such as walking, running, bending, etc.

Sensory nerves: Your sensory nerves operate your 5 senses. These nerves operate your smell, taste, touch, vision, and hearing, and send signals to your brain so you can smell, taste, feel, see, or hear the sensations.

Symptoms of Nerve Damage After a Car Accident

Being in a car accident can sometimes cause damage to nerves in the body. This nerve damage may result in certain symptoms showing up hours, days, or even weeks after the initial injury. Some common signs of nerve damage after a car accident to watch for include tingling, numbness, weakness, or burning sensations in the areas impacted by the accident. For example, if your legs were injured, you might feel tingling in your feet or calves. Or if you hit your head, you could experience numbness and strange sensations in your face or scalp. 

Other nerve damage symptoms include muscle spasms, contractions, or loss of coordination in the affected areas. For instance, your fingers or hands may cramp up easily or feel clumsy and difficult to control after an accident. You might also struggle with everyday tasks like buttoning shirts or holding objects due to reduced strength and motor control. In more severe cases, people experience complete paralysis or loss of function in some muscles.

Experiencing any unusual sensations, weakness, spasms, or loss of function after an accident requires prompt medical care. The sooner nerve damage is diagnosed, the better the chances are for healing damaged nerves or learning ways to manage ongoing symptoms. Please consult a doctor right away if you believe you may be experiencing nerve damage after an accident. Catching it early can make a big difference in nerve recovery.

What Factors Determine Nerve Injury Settlement Amounts?

Several key components influence potential nerve damage from a car accident settlement amounts after a car wreck:

• Extent of injuries: More severe injuries that result in greater disability or impairment warrant higher settlements. Permanent, debilitating damage will lead to larger payouts.

• Type of nerves affected: Injuries involving critical nerves that control core functions like breathing, bladder control, balance, etc. often yield bigger settlements than less functionally vital nerves. 

• Required medical treatment: Lengthy hospitalization, multiple surgeries, devices like braces, prognosis for recovery, and need for physical rehabilitation all impact settlement amounts. More intensive, longer-term medical care equals higher settlements.

• Lost income and earning capacity: The inability to work for an extended time coupled with the potential for reduced future earnings results in larger settlements to account for long-term financial losses.

• Pain and suffering: The level and duration of physical discomfort and emotional issues like depression directly influence non-economic settlement amounts. More subjective pain warrants higher payouts. 

• At-fault driver liability: Clear negligence and liability of the other driver contribute to higher settlements compared to accidents where liability is disputed or shared. 

• Insurance coverage limits: The at-fault driver’s policy limits cap settlement amounts in most cases. Lawsuits unlock opportunities for larger nerve damage settlements.

What Damages Might a Nerve Injury from a Car Accident Settlement Include?

There are two broad categories of accident injury damages: economic and non-economic. Your potential nerve settlement will likely include the following:

Economic

• Medical expenses 
• Rehab and therapy costs  
• Lost income
• Reduced future earnings   
• Incidental costs

Non-Economic  

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Disability and disfigurement
• Emotional distress

Your specific nerve damage settlement amount will depend on many factors surrounding your unique injuries, treatment, and losses stemming from the accident. An experienced attorney can thoroughly evaluate your case details to give guidance on a reasonable settlement value. The average payout for nerve damage after a car accident typically falls anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 or more depending on case circumstances. 

Steps to Take to Protect Your Rights to Compensation

If you suffered a nerve injury in someone else’s negligent driving accident, take these steps:

1. Seek immediate medical care to diagnose nerve damage

2. Document accident details and collect evidence

3. Consult an attorney about your potential case

4. Follow prescribed treatment plans for the best recovery odds  

5. Allow your attorney to handle communication with insurers

6. Consider filing a personal injury lawsuit if fair settlements aren’t offered

Poynter & Bucheri- Indianapolis Car Accident Lawyers 

If you’ve experienced nerve damage from a car accident, don’t navigate the complexities of seeking compensation alone. At Poynter and Bucheri, our dedicated car accident attorneys understand the challenges you may be facing. We offer a free consultation to discuss your case, answer your questions, and guide you on the best course of action. Your well-being is our priority, and we are committed to helping you secure the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Call us at 1-800-265-9881 today to schedule your free case review, and let us be your advocates in this journey toward recovery.