Back in March, I reported data I found in Metro Verdicts Monthly research that I thought would interest personal injury lawyers in Maryland on the value of fractured shoulder injuries. Yesterday I received the recent issue of Metro Verdicts Monthly that provided the median settlement value for rotator cuff injuries in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia:
| Washington D.C. |
$136,200 |
| Virginia |
$26,250 |
| Maryland |
$45,000 |
It is hard to comment on these numbers. I can’t believe they are accurate. That a rotator cuff injury in D.C. is worth three times as much money as the same case in Maryland… I don’t buy it. I’m not sure how they get their data, but the difference in these jurisdictions is not all that pronounced. Arguably, Maryland is a better place for plaintiffs. Baltimore City and Prince George’s County are far superior jurisdictions. While we have never calculated our average or median verdict and settlement statistics in these cases, I can tell you it is a lot more than $45,000.
Rotator Cuff Accident Cases
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 collisions or “T-Bone” accidents.
Our law firm has handled scores of rotator cuff cases. Our clients struggle with these injuries. These painful and debilitating injuries make everyday tasks impossible. It is amazing how often you lift your arm up throughout your life, as these victims quickly figure out.
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 shoulder’s motion to severe ruptures of multiple muscles or tendons. Millions of people are diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff injury every year. But if you are getting a tear — often a full-thickness — from a motor vehicle accident, you are unlikely to see an injury that easily resolves. Many of these clients require an open repair or a mini-open repair that is invasive by 2014 standards.
Interestingly, older data for rotator cuff injury cases that went to trial showed that the median final demand was $85,000 and the median final offer was $25,000. This is a wide range perhaps underscoring the difference of opinions 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 actual settlement value of the case.
You can get more information on the value of rotator cuff injuries by looking both at statistics and sample jury verdicts and out-of-court settlements here.
Rotator Cuff Injury Settlements and Verdicts
$90,000 Verdict (2022 Oregon): the plaintiff was driving on a highway when she suddenly had to slow down and was rear-ended by the defendant. The plaintiff claimed that she suffered a torn left rotator cuff which required surgery. The verdict included $13k in medical expenses and $23k in lost wages.
$538,124 Verdict (2021 Geogria): the plaintiff, employed as a truck driver, reportedly sustained a left rotator cuff tear requiring surgery and leaving him with a permanent impairment, limiting his ability to work and forcing him to change his profession, when the tractor-trailer he operated in a rail yard was struck from the rear by a truck owned by defendant.
$8,865 Verdict (2021 Oregon): the plaintiff was rear-ended by the defendant at a stop sign and the accident allegedly resulted in a complete tear of his left rotator cuff.
$5,500 Verdict (2021 Texas): claimed to suffer a left shoulder, requiring surgery, as well as pain, numbness and tingling in her fingers and hand when, while dining at a restaurant operated by the defendant a tray of dirty dishes was dropped by an employee and struck her left shoulder and arm.
$35,275 Verdict (2019 Washington): the plaintiff, a 20-year-old female, was sideswiped by the defendant and claimed that she suffered a torn rotator cuff and back and neck sprains. She was awarded $8,375 in medical expenses and $25,000 for pain and suffering.
$24,887 Verdict (2018 Florida): the plaintiff was rear-ended by the defendant and claimed injuries including a torn rotator cuff and damage to his acromioclavicular joint which he alleged were permanent. Case went to trial on damages and the jury found that the injuries were not permanent.
Contact Us About Your Shoulder Injury Case
If have suffered a torn rotator cuff or another type of shoulder injury in a accident, contact the personal injury lawyers at Miller & Zois today at 800-553-8082 to find out how much your case could be worth.
