Maryland Injury Lawyer Blog

Back in March I reported data I found in Metro Verdicts Monthly research that I thought would be of interest to personal injury lawyers in Maryland on the value of fractured shoulder injuries. Yesterday I received the new issue of Metro Verdicts Monthly that provided the median settlement value for rotator cuff injuries in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia:

Maryland: $ 45,000
District of Columbia: $136,200
Virginia: $ 26,250

The rotator cuff is a composite of four major muscles and tendon fibers that blend with the upper half of the capsule of the shoulder joint. In the experience of our lawyers, most rotator cuff injuries in car and truck accidents occur in side collision or "t-bone" accidents.

Of course, rotator cuff injury is a relative term with varying degrees of severity, from strains of the rotator cuff that result in minor limitation in the motion of the shoulder to severe ruptures of multiple muscles or tendons.

Interestingly, in 1999 Jury Verdicts Research provided data for rotator cuff injury cases that went to trial. They found that the median final demand was $85,000 and the median final offer was $25,000. This is a pretty wide range, obviously, perhaps underscoring the difference amongst the lawyers involved as to the severity of the rotator cuff injury. The study also found that the median award was $50,000, which leads one to believe that both the Plaintiff's and Defendant's lawyers were often way off the mark on the real value of the case.