What Is the Average Settlement for Shoulder Injury After a Car Accident?

Your shoulder performs many functions that impact your daily life. What would your life look like if you lost the use of one arm? If you’ve been in a car accident and experienced a shoulder injury, you may have already asked yourself this question as you try to recover. It is scary to think about never regaining the use of your arm, especially if the cost of medical bills is preventing you from seeking help from a doctor.

If you experienced injuries after a car accident caused by a negligent driver, make sure you get all the medical attention you need. Shoulder injuries, such as a rotator cuff tear, are common during vehicle collisions and can be slow to heal.

You can pursue the negligent party’s insurance for compensation following the accident, and recover money for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and more. A skilled car accident lawyer can help you make sure you get the fair settlement you are entitled to for your shoulder injury. Here at Will Adams Law Firm, our settlement results speak for themselves. We’ve helped our clients find peace in their recovery, as we compassionately take on their fight with the insurance companies.

Common Shoulder Injuries From Car Accidents in Texas

Your shoulder is one of the weaker joints in your body, which makes it more likely to suffer an injury. During a car accident, you may experience unexpected high forces on your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones, which can cause these important parts to strain, tear, fracture, or break.

Most people tense up during a car accident, and if you are holding a steering wheel, your whole arm may stiffen up and cause all the force of the car accident to be absorbed by your shoulder. Depending on the severity of the collision, you may experience any of these injuries:

• Broken Bones. With a strong impact, you may experience fractured or broken bones, such as a broken clavicle.
• Shoulder Dislocation. Due to the structure of the shoulder joint, a dislocated shoulder is a common injury.
• Rotator Cuff Injury. The rotator cuff muscles and tendons support the shoulder joint, and during a car accident the forces involved can tear these tissues. This injury can cause severe shoulder pain.
• Soft Tissue Trauma. Other soft tissues near the shoulder joint can also suffer if they are impacted.
• Whiplash occurs when your head snaps back and forth. Severe whiplash can injure muscles in the neck as well as the shoulder.

Following an accident, you may feel shooting pain in your shoulder or arm. There may be stiffness and loss of joint mobility. Serious injuries can cause lumps or depressions around the shoulder due to swelling or tears. These injuries may require anything from physical therapy to invasive shoulder surgery.

A thorough medical diagnosis is critical to correctly identifying your shoulder injury, and it’s very important to follow your doctor’s prescribed treatment plan, including physical therapy, as closely as you can. By doing these things, you will have a stronger case when you are pursuing a shoulder injury claim. Insurance companies do not want to pay out, and they may try to argue that your shoulder injuries are not serious or were not caused by the accident. A doctor’s testimony can be very valuable when you are seeking a fair settlement.

Factors That Influence Shoulder Injury Settlement Amount in Katy, TX and Surrounding Areas

A shoulder injury, often resulting from motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall incidents, or workplace mishaps prevalent in and around Katy, TX, can be a life-altering event. The subsequent legal claim for compensation is a complex process where numerous specific factors intertwine to determine the final settlement amount. While the principle remains: more severe accidents often lead to more serious injuries, the true complexity lies in quantifying the total financial, physical, and emotional burden the injury imposes on the victim’s life.

In general, combining an increased severity of an injury with its demonstrable, longer-lasting impact on a person’s ability to function and enjoy life can potentially result in a considerably higher settlement. Because every injury is unique, it is impossible to predict the precise value of any specific case without a thorough review by legal counsel.

However, certain statistics can offer a general baseline. While many shoulder injury cases settle for lower amounts, the average payout often cited is in the range of $100,000. It is crucial to remember this figure is an average, encompassing minor cases and those involving catastrophic, million-dollar-plus resolutions where the injury leads to total disability or permanent impairment. Understanding the specific components of your case is the only way to seek fair compensation.

Here is an in-depth look at the major factors that influence the total amount of a shoulder injury settlement:

1. Medical Bills and Treatment Documentation

The foundation of any personal injury claim is the documented cost of necessary medical care. These expenses must be directly traceable to the accident. Given the complexity of the shoulder joint—which involves the rotator cuff, labrum, and various tendons and ligaments—treatment can range from conservative management to major surgical interventions.

Current Medical Costs: This category includes all bills for medically necessary procedures immediately following the accident up to the time of settlement.

• Diagnostics: Costs associated with initial assessments, including X-rays, Computed Tomography (CT) scans, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs). The severity and type of injury often revealed by an MRI (e.g., a full-thickness rotator cuff tear versus a partial tear) are critical to valuation.
• Non-Surgical Treatments: Expenses for conservative approaches, such as physical therapy sessions, chiropractor visits, various pain medications, and steroid or cortisone injections designed to reduce inflammation and manage pain. The duration and frequency of these therapies signal the injury’s recalcitrance.
• Surgical Intervention: If surgery is required, the costs escalate significantly. This includes facility fees, anesthesiologist fees, and surgeon fees for procedures like invasive rotator cuff tear surgery, labral repair, or less invasive arthroscopic surgery. The necessity of repeat surgeries further increases the claim’s value.

2. Future Medical Needs: The Long-Term Projection

If the treatment for the shoulder injury is ongoing, or if the injury is determined to have a permanent effect, a significant portion of the settlement amount is allocated to Future Medical Needs.

Calculating this value requires more than simple estimation; it necessitates a detailed analysis of the victim’s likely medical trajectory. A legal team accustomed to handling these claims will frequently consult with medical professionals to project necessary care over the victim’s expected lifespan. This may include:

• Ongoing Physical Therapy: Calculating the cost of continued sessions over several years to maintain mobility.
• Medication Management: Estimating long-term prescription costs for pain or nerve management.
• Hardware Removal or Replacement: If the victim underwent surgery requiring plates, screws, or anchors, the potential cost of a future procedure to remove or replace that hardware must be considered.
• Future Joint Replacement: For severe injuries, especially those leading to post-traumatic arthritis, the eventual need for a total shoulder replacement (arthroplasty) must be included, factoring in inflation and the cost of the surgical event itself.

3. Economic Damages: Lost Income and Earnings Capacity

These damages are quantifiable losses directly tied to the victim’s professional life.

Lost Wages: This covers the time the victim missed work directly because of the accident, initial hospitalization, mandatory medical appointments, and recovery from surgery. The documentation for this is straightforward, involving pay stubs, W-2 forms, and employer statements confirming missed shifts and corresponding financial loss.

Lost Earning Capacity (LEC): This is one of the most critical factors influencing large settlements. LEC accounts for the life-long impact that the shoulder injury has on the victim’s ability to earn money. This often applies when:

• Career Change is Forced: A job requiring heavy overhead lifting (e.g., construction, mechanic, professional athlete) may become physically impossible due to chronic pain or mobility restrictions.
• Reduced Work Hours: The injury prevents the victim from working full-time or accepting overtime, leading to a permanent reduction in their annual income.
• Diminished Promotion Potential: The physical limitation impacts the ability to advance in a career path.

To calculate LEC accurately, legal teams frequently utilize the assistance of forensic economists and vocational rehabilitation specialists. These professionals analyze the victim’s education, work history, and potential career path before the injury, comparing it to their projected income after the injury, presenting a comprehensive monetary figure for the lost potential.

4. Non-Economic Damages: Pain, Suffering, and Quality of Life

Often referred to as “Pain and Suffering,” non-economic damages are compensation for the non-monetary losses associated with the injury. Shoulder injuries can severely impact one’s quality of life, either temporarily during recovery or permanently.

The value assigned here is subjective but based heavily on objective documentation.

• Physical Pain and Discomfort: The actual physical suffering endured.
• Loss of Consortium/Companionship: The impact on marital or familial relationships due to physical limitations or psychological changes.
• Emotional Distress: Including anxiety, depression, and stress related to the injury, treatment, and financial strain.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life: This is highly influential in Katy, TX, where an active lifestyle is common. If the victim was an avid basketball player, a dedicated pianist, a keen golfer, or simply unable to lift their infant child, the demonstrable inability to engage in these valued hobbies and activities factors heavily into the settlement amount. Documentation often involves journal entries, witness statements, and therapist reports detailing the daily struggles and emotional toll of the injury.

Insurance companies typically use a “multiplier method” (1.5 to 5 times the total economic damages) or a “per diem” (daily rate) calculation to arrive at an initial figure for non-economic damages, but a capable legal representative will argue for a higher valuation based on the specific, profound impact on the victim’s life.

5. Liability and the Role of Comparative Fault in Texas

The settlement amount is also fundamentally controlled by the question of liability—who was at fault for the accident. Texas operates under a Modified Comparative Fault rule, also known as proportionate responsibility.

Under this rule, a victim can recover damages only if they are determined to be 50% or less responsible for the accident. If found 51% or more at fault, they recover nothing. If, for instance, a court determines the victim was 20% at fault for the incident, their total calculated damages will be reduced by 20%. A legal practice must thoroughly investigate the accident scene, secure witness testimony, and review accident reports to establish and protect the victim’s minimal responsibility, maximizing the potential recovery.

6. Property Damages

While often smaller than medical or lost income claims, damage to property must be factored in. This includes the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle involved in the accident, as well as any personal items inside the car (laptops, phones, musical instruments) that may have been broken or damaged during the collision.

7. Punitive Damages (Rare Circumstances)

Punitive damages are distinct from compensatory damages (which cover medical bills and pain and suffering). They are rarely awarded and only in cases involving gross negligence or extreme recklessness. These damages are not intended to compensate the victim but rather to punish the defendant and discourage others from engaging in similarly dangerous conduct. Examples include cases involving drunk driving (driving while intoxicated, or DWI) or intentional acts of harm.

Who Pays for My Shoulder Injury Settlement in Katy, TX?

If you were a passenger in the vehicle of a friend or family member, you may be hesitant to seek a shoulder injury case against someone who is important to you. However, it is not your friend or loved one who will pay for your bills. It is their insurance company – most likely their auto policy, but there are other insurance companies that may cover the settlement.

For instance, drivers are required to have minimum insurance in Texas. That insurance will typically cover your claims. However, if the value of the claim exceeds their coverage, or if the negligent driver is not insured, there are other options. If you have Under Insured Motorist (UIM) or Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage, that may cover all or a portion of your shoulder injury claim.

Your car accident lawyer might start digging through the facts and find out that the other driver was on the clock when the accident occurred. If that is the case, the employer’s insurance will likely cover your claim.

With the help of a lawyer like Will Adams, you can be sure that you have someone on your side who will explore all the possibilities of different insurance companies that may be able to compensate you for your shoulder pain or rotator cuff injury. Shoulder surgery is a serious procedure, and we know you need to spend as much time as you can recovering, not worrying about how you are going to pay your bills.