Sciatic Nerve Damage Settlement — Symptoms and Injury Claim Process

Understanding Sciatic Nerve Damage and How It Happens

The biggest nerve in your body is the sciatic nerve. It runs from the spine down your back, through your buttocks, and down your legs. The sciatic nerve controls the movements of your thigh muscles. 

Pressure on the sciatic nerve can cause damage to the nerve. Common causes of pressure include the following:

• Herniated discs
• Pinched nerves
• Spinal cord injuries (SCIs)
• Tumors

Trauma from a car accident can cause herniated discs, pinched nerves, and SCIs.

Sciatic nerve damage symptoms include:

• Muscle weakness
• Numbness
• Pain that radiates from your lower back through the buttocks, down the leg, extending as far as the calf, foot, and toes
• Tingling or pins-and-needles sensations

Sciatic nerve damage can also cause chronic, debilitating pain. Those with symptoms of sciatic nerve damage may need a physical examination and medical tests, such as MRIs and nerve conduction velocity tests, to verify the injury and determine its severity. 

Common Causes of Sciatic Nerve Injury in Auto Accidents

Causes of sciatic nerve injuries in car crashes include the following:

• Impact causing compression injuries, such as pinched nerves, collapsed vertebrae, or shattered vertebrae.
• Sudden impact against the spine, resulting in a disc herniation.
• Violent jerking of the spine, which can cause herniated and slipped discs and nerve compression.

Car accidents can also exacerbate existing conditions. Individuals with sciatic nerve damage need expensive medical treatment to reduce or eliminate their pain and other symptoms. Even with treatment, sciatic nerve damage can cause short- or long-term disability.

Symptoms and Long-Term Effects of Sciatic Nerve Damage 

You may experience immediate symptoms after an accident that damages the sciatic nerve. However, delayed injuries occur after the accident for several reasons, such as tissue swelling and inflammation. Chronic symptoms can also emerge when the adrenaline spike from the accident wears off. 

Symptoms include the following:

• Burning sensations
• Difficulty sitting
• Difficulty walking
• Loss of function in legs or feet
• Numbness
• Sharp pain in the buttocks
• Sharp pain in the leg
• Shooting pain down the buttocks
• Shooting pain down the leg
• Tingling
• Weakness in the legs

Long-term damage can cause permanent disabilities, affecting your ability to move without assistive devices, such as wheelchairs. The severity of the sciatic nerve damage will impact the settlement amount that accident victims can seek. Those with permanent nerve damage can seek compensation for future medical costs and other anticipated expenses, such as future lost income. Those with short-term injuries can seek compensation for expenses until they recover.

Medical Treatment and Physical Therapy for Sciatic Nerve Damage 

Treatments for sciatic nerve damage depend on the nature and severity of the damage. Minor damage may be treatable with hot and cold therapy, stretching, and a period of abstaining from heavy lifting and other strenuous activities. 

Damage requiring medical treatment falls into two categories — surgical and non-surgical.

Non-Surgical Treatments 

Non-surgical treatments for sciatic nerve damage include the following:

• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Epidural steroid injections
• Painkillers
• Physical therapy 

Epidural steroid injections can provide relief for herniated discs and compressed nerves by reducing inflammation. Physical therapy can also help with pain management. Physical therapy strengthens weakened muscles and helps restore flexibility and mobility.

Surgery 

In severe cases, individuals with spinal nerve damage may need surgery. Types of surgery for treating sciatic nerve damage include the following:

• Decompression nerve surgery: Used to treat a compressed nerve.
• Laminectomy: Used to remove part of the vertebrae, so there’s more space for the sciatic nerve.
• Microdiscectomy: Used to remove part of a herniated disc that’s putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.
• Spinal fusion: This surgery follows other procedures and restores spinal stability.

Filing a Sciatic Nerve Damage Injury Claim in Nevada

You can file a sciatic nerve injury claim in Nevada if an accident caused your injury. You can schedule a free consultation with an attorney to discuss your accident, injury symptoms, and the severity of the nerve damage you incurred. The attorney will also explain your legal options. 

Your attorney can gather the following:

• Accident report
• Medical records 
• Photos and videos
• Witness statements
• Any other evidence that may be relevant, such as weather and vehicle maintenance reports

Your attorney will then file claims for compensation from the at-fault driver or parties responsible for the accident. For example, if your accident resulted from a maintenance issue, the company that completed the work may be considered the at-fault party. 

Your attorney will also work with you to calculate all the damages you can seek through your claim, and represent you while negotiating with the at-fault party’s insurance company, and will seek a fair settlement without going to court. Negotiated settlements can include compensation for economic damages and non-economic damages. 

If needed, your attorney will represent you in court, if they are unable to secure fair compensation through negotiations. 
Nevada gives car accident victims two years to seek compensation for injuries.

What Compensation Can Be Recovered in Sciatic Nerve Damage Settlements?

When you seek legal help for sciatic nerve damage in Nevada, you should communicate with your attorneys about the financial and personal impact of your injury. Your attorney can help determine what damages you can seek to ensure you receive fair compensation. 

The severity of your injuries also impacts the amount you can seek. Sciatic nerve damage compensation in Las Vegas is higher for individuals with permanent injuries that severely impact their daily activities. These individuals can seek higher settlement amounts than those with short-term injuries. 

Economic Damages

Monetary, or economic damages, provide compensation for the expenses or financial losses you incurred because of your injury. 

Reasons to claim economic damages include the following:

• Childcare costs
• House cleaning bills
• Lost income
• Medical expenses
• Property damage

Economic damages can also include compensation for anticipated future medical bills, such as physical therapy and medications, and reduced earning capacity, if you have a long-term injury.

Non-Economic Damages 

Non-economic damages, which are also considered non-monetary, focus on the personal toll you’ve suffered because of your injury. 

Grounds for non-economic damages include the following:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Emotional distress
• Grief
• Loss of consortium
• Loss of quality of life
• Pain and suffering
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

Punitive Damages 

You may receive punitive damages if the person who caused the accident was guilty of gross negligence. You have a higher likelihood of receiving punitive damages if your case involves criminal charges against the at-fault party. 

Factors Influencing Sciatic Nerve Damage Settlement Values 

The average car accident settlement varies. Several factors, such as the following, will affect the damages you receive from a sciatic nerve injury lawsuit in Las Vegas:

• Degree of liability: Compensation is higher if they’re completely responsible, but lower if you share some liability for the accident. 
• Earning potential: Your ability to return to work and maintain your current earnings and standard of living will affect your settlement.
• Medical treatment required: Compensation is higher if you require long-term treatment. The cost of treatment also affects the amount of compensation available. 
• Permanence of injury: Compensation is higher for those with severe, long-term, or permanent injuries. 

You will receive a better settlement if you have strong medical evidence supporting your claim that your injury stems from the accident. Expert testimony and medical records play a crucial role in supporting your claim.

Securing expert legal representation from an experienced personal injury attorney also increases the likelihood you will receive the maximum compensation available because experienced attorneys know how to deal with insurance companies and how to calculate the maximum damages available.

The at-fault party’s insurance policy will also affect your settlement amount. How much you can secure may depend on their policy limits. Your attorney’s negotiation strategies will also impact how much you receive from a negotiated settlement. 

Challenges in Proving Sciatic Nerve Damage and How To Overcome Them

It can be challenging to prove you’re suffering from sciatic nerve damage due to an accident. Pre-existing conditions can make it difficult to distinguish how much damage you incurred, and the medical scans and nerve tests used to verify sciatic nerve damage may not conclusively prove when your injury was incurred.

Insurance companies may also try to get injury victims to accept a greater share of the blame for the accident to increase their liability and reduce the compensation they deserve. That’s why you should always have your attorney communicate with the insurance company.

Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, will negotiate with insurance companies and secure expert medical testimony to support your claim. Our legal experts will use their knowledge and experience to build a strong case so you get the compensation you deserve.

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