Basically I'm not sure if I should take it or not. I live in Pennsylvania.
Brief history: I was injured back on November 18th 2011, 2 herniated discs L5-S1 and L4-L5, the rest of the discs in my lumbar spine are bulging. I've been doing PT since December and have had 1 epidural injection that has slightly helped. My pain is manageable right now and I am currently taking 100-200mg of Tramadol a day.. However I do not have personal health insurance. I can function pretty effectively, but if I exert myself too much I have to ice my back to avoid irritation.
The insurance company wants to settle and my lawyer thinks I can get around $35,000 (around 3 years at the part-time job I had in college) and payment of all my outstanding medical bills with no further treatment.
My worries:
I halt treatment prematurely and end up being screwed out of needed medical care. I'm 24 and yeah, for a recent college graduate $35,000 seems really awesome. But when it comes down to it I'd rather be healthy than have a big check.
Another part of me wants to just move on with my life, take the settlement, join a gym, get insurance, and find a job since I'm so young.
Does anyone have experience dealing with what I have going on? Is the settlement fair? I feel very confused.
you are young and the odds are if you take it easy for awhile get a few massages and dont jump out of any planes for awhile you will be okay..
Dont settle !!! Your back will be bad the rest of your life and the IC will be off the hook for peanuts and you will have to pay for everything having to do with your back out of your pocket !!!
That amount is nothing.... It may sound like a lot but its not worth it.
What does your doc say? Does he expect you to get worse? From what my attorney has shown me on the rate chart 35k is a lot for the settlement.. However it doesn't sound like it includes future medical which means you have to save that money for an future back problems..ands that's not a lot considering the actual amount medical procedures cost.
I would agree that talking to your doctor in regard to future medical treatment and the cost of this treatment is a good idea. Other issues to keep in mind is whether going forward treatment for the back condition will be considered age related degeneration that may be billed to your private insurance, and what, if any, impact the new health care law will have on your ability to submit these bills to your private insurance for payment.
In addition, as a college graduate, your earning power should exceed what you were making when you were injured. This will make it much easier for the insurance carrier to modify or suspend your wage loss benefits which will drastically reduce your settlement value.
Finally, keep in mind that the posters on this and other forums, even the experienced and educated ones, are responding to a few lines of information, and none of us have the knowledge of your case that your lawyer does. Listen to your lawyer, ask questions, and seriously consider his advise.
I would agree that talking to your doctor in regard to future medical treatment and the cost of this treatment is a good idea. Other issues to keep in mind is whether going forward treatment for the back condition will be considered age related degeneration that may be billed to your private insurance, and what, if any, impact the new health care law will have on your ability to submit these bills to your private insurance for payment.
In addition, as a college graduate, your earning power should exceed what you were making when you were injured. This will make it much easier for the insurance carrier to modify or suspend your wage loss benefits which will drastically reduce your settlement value.
Finally, keep in mind that the posters on this and other forums, even the experienced and educated ones, are responding to a few lines of information, and none of us have the knowledge of your case that your lawyer does. Listen to your lawyer, ask questions, and seriously consider his advise.
I have same injuries and an upper herniation,im having alif surgery on l4-l5 on may 30th. Youll most likely have future problems and this one surgery is $129,000! $35000 - atty fees isnt much for what you could go through. Do your homework first.good luck
I talked to my Dr. and he thinks its in my best interest to take the settlement. He says that since I'm so young over time my back will heal more. After getting an epidural injection and doing almost 5 months of PT my pain is manageable (been taking about 1/4 my normal dose of Tramadol). My attorney also advises me to take the settlement because he thinks if we try to take it any further the insurance company will "dig their heels in" and do everything in their power to make my life miserable. I told him to go ahead and start working the deal with the company, but I didn't sign anything yet and I'm having second thoughts even though I want to trust both my Dr. and my attorney.
Also: My MRI indicates that some of the damage in my back is age related, but doesn't say so directly.