How Much is a Herniated Disk Worth?

A herniated disk is a painful and potentially life-altering injury.

If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disk after an accident that was not your fault, you could be entitled to take decisive legal action against the person or party who caused your injury. A personal injury lawsuit cannot undo an accident, but a successful settlement or court-ordered award could provide the compensation you need to start building back.

Herniated disk settlements often run into the tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes even higher, but there is no standard set amount for an award. Instead, your damages are calculated in accordance with the severity of your injuries, the extent of your financial losses, and the all-around impact on your quality of life.

Here is what you need to know about:

Herniated And Bulging Disks

The terms “herniated disk” and “bulging disk” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they actually refer to two distinct conditions with different diagnostic criteria.

Your disks act as cushions for the vertebral bones of your spinal column. They consist of two layers of cartilage: the outermost being tough and hard, the interior comparatively soft. Disks can bulge or herniate as a result of either old age or physical trauma.

A bulging disk is a highly localized condition, affecting a small part of the disk’s strong exterior. It can still be incredibly painful, but bulging disks can usually be treated and, in some cases, may even heal on their own. Herniated disks, in contrast, involve damage to both the inner and outer layers of cartilage. They tend to be much more painful than bulging disks and often require surgery to fix.

As such, herniated disk settlements tend to be worth more than those for bulging disks, though exceptions can and do exist.

The Two Components Of A Settlement

Most personal injury settlements consist of two main components. These are:

1. Economic damages. Your economic damages, or “special damages,” compensate verifiable forms of financial loss. Special damages could include reimbursement for paid hospital bills, lost income from work, or additional funds to help pay for anticipated care.
2. Non-economic damages. Your non-economic damages, or “general damages,” compensate subjective feelings of loss, pain, and hardship.

Calculating damages is not always straightforward, especially if you are facing a long road to recovery. In many personal injury lawsuits, non-economic damages, which are, by their very nature, subjective and open to some interpretation, become a point of sore contention during settlement negotiations.

Calculating Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are usually calculated using either one of two methods. These are:

1. The multiplier method, which multiplies your economic damages by a number ranging between 1.5 and 5.0; and
2. The per diem method, which assigns a daily monetary value to each day you have suffered as the result of an accident, and each day you are expected to continue suffering for the foreseeable future.

The Actual Value Of A Herniated Disk Settlement

Herniated disk settlements are usually worth anywhere between $10,000 and $100,000, with the median falling somewhere in the middle. In some cases, settlements may be much lower; in others, they could be much higher, with some approaching seven figures.

Ultimately, your case’s actual value is unique. If you think you could have a claim, contact the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. today at 1-716-839-3939 to speak to a personal injury lawyer and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 1-716-839-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we