Expert: Anne - 5/8/2010

Question
My son was recently in a roll-over accident. He was the passenger. He was taken to level 1 trauma center (hospital) where he was treated a released with orders to follow up with orthopedics and family Dr. At the hospital he had CT scan of his head, neck & back Xrays. The family Dr diagnosed him with whiplash & moderate Post Concussion syndrome. He has been having lots of sever headaches since. We followed up again at the same ER for the worsening headaches and the Dr.'s stated that Post Concussion Syndrome could last anywhere from a couple week to 3 months to 2 years, depending on the severity. My son did lose consciousness momentarily. He also sustained a skin abrasion that scraped off a chunk of skin 1 1/2 inch by 6 inch on upper back on shoulder which the Dr said would heal but he would need to wear sunblock and a shirt through the summer. Family Dr also stated that he may not be able to play football in the Fall. We know it is early in this insurance claim, but we are trying to prepare. We were wondering what kind of settlement for pain & suffering we should be looking for following this. We know that you cannot give exact or very specific details, but we were wondering what we shouldnt settle for & how much is too much to fight for.

Answer
Hello Don,

I am sorry to hear about your son. I truly hope he recovers completely and soon.

As you noted, it's very hard, if possible at all to give you an accurate answer as to "how much your should settle for" or how much pain and suffering should he collect. We must look at all the records and medical diagnosis before making a decision on his case. It's one of those things we can do.

There are ways for you to evaluate pain and suffering, and they are outlined here:

http://www.auto-insurance-claim-advice.com/pain-and-suffering.html

You really should consider talking to an attorney. There may be more to this than you think.

I hope this helps,

Good Luck
Anne
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