Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that disrupts everyday life in severe ways. Victims who sustain concussions from negligent car accidents, workplace accidents, or slip and fall incidents can file insurance claims against the responsible party. Sometimes, you need to initiate a personal injury lawsuit.

You should comprehend what settlement amounts you might recover. In Nevada, settlements for minor concussions often start around $15,000 and can climb higher depending on medical costs and lost wages. Post-concussion syndrome cases that progress into prolonged conditions receive awards from six to seven figures in compensation.

Because concussion symptoms are unpredictable, they can appear days later and sometimes become chronic. Therefore, accepting a low early offer risks leaving you undercompensated. Below, you will learn more about concussion settlements, expected compensation, and possible outcomes.

Overview of Concussion Settlements

A concussion is classified as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), and most people recover fully, though a small percentage experience long-term effects. The victims of concussions caused by negligent car accidents, slip and fall incidents, or workplace mishaps have the right to pursue legal compensation. 

The process starts by negotiating with the at-fault party's insurance company, but can proceed to personal injury litigation when negotiations fail to produce a fair settlement. Settlement figures vary widely. Settlement ranges for minor concussions in Nevada typically fall between $15,000 and $25,000, though some cases, especially those with prolonged symptoms or higher policy limits, can exceed $100,000. 

The process of negotiation becomes crucial when dealing with advanced concussion injuries and post-concussion syndrome because awards can reach six- or seven-figure sums. A complete evaluation is essential for every concussion case.

Factors Influencing Settlement Amounts

Multiple variables determine what amount gets awarded in a concussion settlement. The ability to comprehend these key factors helps both evaluate settlement potential and run effective negotiation processes.

Injury Severity

Personal injury settlements must restore victims to their original financial state while covering all expenses incurred. The most crucial element for settlement value assessment is the level of concussion severity. The losses, including medical costs, income reduction, physical pain, life disruption, and medical expenses, directly depend on the severity of the injury.

The settlement value increases when injuries need extensive medical care and cause prolonged recovery and life-altering consequences. The need for ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, and therapy enhances potential compensation amounts. Law professionals recognize injury severity as the main factor that controls economic and non-economic damage calculations during their assessments.

  • Common Concussion Symptoms

A head impact or jarring force to the body against the head can disrupt the normal function of the brain, leading to a concussion. Medical professionals classify a concussion as a “mild” traumatic brain injury, but it can still cause severe, lasting effects. Symptoms might delay their onset from hours to days after an injury and differ between individuals.

Both medical diagnosis and legal documentation require proper identification of all possible concussion symptoms. The symptoms of concussion surpass head pain because they affect physical well-being and cognitive functions as well as emotional balance and sleep quality. 

Every reported symptom must be documented in detail because this evidence helps medical staff and legal professionals determine the extent of damages for settlement purposes.

  • Recovery Time and Resolution

The path of recovery directly impacts the amount of settlement a patient receives. Research shows that approximately 90% of concussion symptoms resolve within 10 to 14 days for most patients. Still, adolescent patients might need up to four weeks for complete recovery.

In Nevada, mild concussion claims arising from car crashes or slip-and-falls most commonly settle between $15,000 and $25,000. At the same time, more serious or prolonged cases, especially those involving post-concussion syndrome, can exceed $100,000.

Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) occurs when symptoms persist beyond three months; up to 30% of patients experience this prolonged recovery. Medical professionals use various patient characteristics, including symptom severity and number of initial symptoms, alongside loss of consciousness and amnesia, and age and history of previous concussions, to determine how long recovery will take. The treatment and rehabilitation of PCS cases leads to settlements exceeding $100,000, which can extend to million-dollar sums.

The settlement process becomes more challenging because there is no standard set of diagnostic criteria for post-concussion syndrome. Insurance companies can challenge the diagnosis of PCS because several of its symptoms also exist in other medical conditions.

To prove the connection between concussion and ongoing symptoms, experts need to provide thorough medical evidence through symptom documentation, neuropsychological assessments, detailed examinations, and expert medical testimony.

Insurance Coverage

Settlement negotiations face financial resource limitations as a principal constraint in determining compensation amounts. The liability insurance policy maintained by the party determined to be at fault provides the primary funding source for settlement purposes.

The policy limit is essential because it defines the highest amount insurers must pay. For example, Nevada law requires motorists to carry at least $25,000 bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, and $20,000 property damage (“25/50/20”). Higher policy limits enable larger settlements to occur where injuries require extensive compensation.

The matter becomes complicated when the responsible party lacks insurance or has insufficient coverage. Victims in these situations have to use their Uninsured Motorist (UM) or Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage or potentially other relevant policies, including commercial liability, premises liability, or workers’ compensation, based on the details of their situation. The claims process requires early identification of every available insurance coverage.

  • Compensation for Medical Expenses

Medical expenses related to an injury are essential to any concussion settlement agreement. Insurance settlements reimburse all reasonable, necessary medical expenses that have already occurred and will occur in the future for treatment. This broad category typically includes:

  • Initial emergency room visits or urgent care

  • Hospital stays

  • Diagnostic imaging, such as CT scans and MRIs

  • Consultations with specialists such as neurologists, neuropsychologists, and physiatrists

  • Prescription medications

  • Rehabilitative therapies such as physical, occupational, cognitive, vision, or speech therapy

  • Emotional distress requiring psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment through professional help

  • Long-term care, home modifications, or assistive devices, when needed

The insurance policy constraints of the responsible party restrict how much they can pay for covered expenses. The insurance policy limits victims' compensation because their medical expenses, lost income, and non-economic damages exceed these limits. When medical expenses exceed the amount of insurance coverage, the victim faces the risk of receiving only a fraction of their medical bills.

Health insurance coverage of the victim creates additional challenges when combined with settlement compensation amounts. The terms of health insurance policies require reimbursement to the insurer through subrogation rights or liens whenever a third-party settlement occurs. The gross settlement receives a reduction because of these liens. Negotiating effectively to lower liens becomes essential because reducing the repayment amount results in higher compensation for the injured individual. Specialized legal expertise becomes necessary to achieve the highest compensation through this process.

Comparative Negligence and Shared Fault Rules

Multiple parties typically bear responsibility for concussion-related accidents, which makes liability determination difficult to establish. The compensation amount for injured parties can decrease based on state law under comparative or contributory negligence principles when they bear any responsibility for their injuries. 

Nevada follows a modified comparative negligence rule (NRS 41.141): injured parties may recover damages if they are 50% or less at fault, with any award reduced in proportion to their percentage of fault.

Insurance adjusters use these legal concepts to lower settlement amounts by pointing out minor violations or brief gaps in coverage. A successful defense against these claims needs complete investigations and solid evidence, including police reports, witness statements, photographs, and expert reconstruction analysis.

Additional Settlement Factors

  • Impact on Daily Life

The determination of liability remains unclear because different parties might bear equal responsibility for concussion-related accidents. The compensation amount for injured parties can decrease by applying comparative or contributory negligence principles according to state law when they hold any responsibility for the accident. 

Under Nevada’s 50% bar rule, claimants may recover compensation if their fault does not exceed 50%, with any award reduced by their percentage of responsibility.

Insurance adjusters use legal concepts to lower settlement amounts by pointing out small policy violations or minor policy lapses. The successful defense against these claims needs extensive investigation supported by substantial evidence, which includes police reports, together with witness statements, photographs, and expert reconstruction analysis.

  • Financial Considerations

The settlement needs to include reimbursement for direct financial losses that result from the concussion. These "economic damages" include:

  • Past, present, and reasonable future expenses. The expenses cover medical diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, medication, and related care. Detailed medical records and bills serve as essential proof for this claim. 

  • Lost wages. These include the income lost from work absences to recover and attend medical appointments or therapy sessions. You need pay stubs, employment records, and physician notes to prove your inability to work.

  • The ability to earn future wages. This becomes an essential claim factor when dealing with enduring or permanent disabilities. 

The compensation process through settlements includes payments for measurable financial damages and unquantifiable human consequences called "non-economic damages." This category encompasses:

  • Physical pain and discomfort

  • Emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, fear, and frustration

  • The inability to enjoy life through hobbies and social activities

  • Inconvenience and disruption to daily routines

  • Mental anguish

  • Other subjective consequences of living with the injury's effects

The quantification process for these experiences proves difficult. Attorneys and insurers sometimes use methods of damage multiplication or daily cost calculation, but no definite calculation system exists. The amount awarded for pain and suffering emerges from settlement negotiations or is decided by jury panels during trials. Pain and suffering awards in Nevada vary widely—often from $10,000 in quick-recovery cases to over $250,000 in more complex or chronic-symptom claims, depending on juries and policy limits.

  • Long-Term Effects and Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS)

​​The settlement value depends heavily on the long-term complications that result from concussion injuries, according to the information presented throughout this discussion. The development of persistent symptoms, which medical professionals diagnose as post-concussion syndrome, indicates a serious injury requiring substantial compensation. The existence of ongoing complications, their severity level and duration, and their impact require detailed medical documentation to prove.

Medical specialists conduct neuropsychological tests to measure cognitive deficits objectively, and medical experts provide expert testimony to establish the connection between initial injuries and resulting conditions. PCS settlements must consider extensive long-term treatment expenses and permanent disability consequences for earning capacity and the severe deterioration of life quality.

  • Other Injuries

Multiple severe accidents that trigger concussions frequently lead to additional injuries, including neck and back damage (with whiplash), broken bones, severe cuts that need stitches, internal injuries, and major tissue injuries. The combined effect of multiple injuries leads to settlement negotiations to increase overall compensation to pay for total medical bills, together with extended recovery periods and pain and suffering, and reduced functionality.

The credibility of concussion claims receives significant support when medical evidence shows visible fractures on X-rays or requires surgical treatment of deep lacerations. Insurance adjusters tend to dismiss concussions without CT or MRI abnormalities. Still, severe injuries create challenges for them to deny the relationship between the impact and concussion or traumatic brain injury. Complete documentation of all experienced injuries determines precise values of individual injuries while creating a unified view of the total traumatic experience.

Examples of Settlement Amounts

The information in the previous sections details various concussion settlement determinants, but reported case examples and settlement ranges can help estimate probable outcomes. The settlement amounts depend strongly on individual case details, injury severity and symptom duration, economic losses, state laws, fault and damage caps, insurance coverage, and quality of legal representation.

Minor Concussions

The range of settlements for concussions with brief symptom duration from seven to fourteen days or up to a month generally remains at lower levels. The reported financial compensation for these cases starts at several thousand dollars and extends to approximately $25,000.

The cost of treating mild concussions can extend to $50,000 or $80,000, according to specific reports that take into account initial medical expenses and lost wages and jurisdictional factors. The settlements exclusively address both medical costs and brief interruptions of daily life.

Moderate Concussions

A settlement value rises when concussion symptoms continue after the initial few weeks because patients need advanced medical care with therapy programs or experience significant disruptions in their ability to work and perform everyday duties.

The settlement values for moderate concussions and those with extended recovery periods typically fall between $50,000 and $100,000 or more. However, cases reaching $300,000 commonly involve severe complications and documented wage loss and increased pain and suffering awards due to prolonged symptoms.

Severe Concussions/Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)

Cases with severe concussions that doctors classify as moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries show extensive initial trauma and brain structure damage seen on imaging tests, and include periods of unconsciousness or produce significant permanent disabilities. Hospitalization follows these injuries along with intensive rehabilitation, and patients experience permanent cognitive, physical, and emotional deficits. 

Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS)

PCS leads to higher settlement values because the symptoms endure over time and create substantial effects. PCS settlements span a broad spectrum because the condition affects patients in various ways. Milder PCS cases with symptoms lasting several months might settle in ranges similar to moderate concussions, $20,000 to $80,000, or slightly higher.

However, when PCS symptoms are severe, debilitating, and persist for years or indefinitely, causing significant functional impairment, inability to work, and profound quality of life reduction, settlements can range from the mid-six figures to well over one million dollars.

Seeking Legal Advice

Handling a concussion claim on your own can be difficult without experienced legal guidance. Insurance adjusters with extensive legal and medical knowledge work for insurance companies to reduce the compensation they pay.

For the following reasons, consulting a personal injury attorney specializing in brain injury cases is essential:

  • Knowledgeable attorneys analyze all relevant medical documents and assess immediate injuries and future health needs. They then calculate the compensation value by itemizing economic losses alongside non-economic ones. Finally, they review the at-fault party’s insurance policies to determine coverage limits and address subrogation or lien issues.

  • Lawyers know how to select the most vital pieces. An attorney secures medical records and works with treating physicians to secure specialists who provide professional opinions about causation, diagnosis, future needs, economic impact, and accident-related evidence for liability determination.

  • Insurance company negotiations benefit from their negotiation skills, which they use to fight against inadequate settlement offers and injury minimization strategies to secure appropriate compensation.

  • Your attorney will take legal action through litigation when negotiations fail, but their willingness to file a lawsuit is a strong negotiating tool to settle.

  • The process of handling a central concussion claim by yourself typically results in settlements that fall short of your rightful compensation. The first step to receiving proper compensation requires consulting a qualified attorney.

Find a Personal Injury Attorney Near Me

In Nevada, mild concussion settlements typically begin around $15,000, while cases involving Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) or severe injury frequently exceed $100,000. Severe or PCS cases can result in six- or seven-figure settlements. Traumatic brain injuries that cause severe damage result in settlements valued at six figures and above, based on how long symptoms continue and medical expenses, and insurance policy maximums apply.

The final compensation amount depends on the severity of your injuries, the length of recovery time, the extent of your insurance coverage, and the rules regarding shared responsibility. You should not face this complicated process by yourself. Contact the Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm at 702-996-1224 for a free consultation on your concussion settlement claim in Las Vegas, Nevada.