Lawsuit Information Center
On this page, we will look at the settlement value of knee injuries in personal injury lawsuits. We will look at the different types of knee injuries that we commonly see in accident cases, and we will explain how these injuries are valued for settlement purposes. We will also provide recent settlements and verdicts in cases involving knee injuries.
RELATED CONTENT:
Settlement Value of Torn Biceps
Settlement Value of Broken Leg
Knee Injuries in Accidents
Knee injuries are very common in personal injury accident cases. Knee injuries are particularly common in auto accidents, but our lawyers see major knee injuries in slip and fall and other types of premises liability cases as well.
Common types of knee injuries include:
ACL Tear (Anterior Cruciate Ligament): Often occurs in sports involving sudden stops, changes in direction, or jumps. Symptoms include a popping sound, pain, and swelling.
MCL Tear (Medial Collateral Ligament): Caused by a direct blow to the outer knee, common in contact sports. It leads to pain, swelling, and instability on the inner side of the knee.
Meniscus Tear: Occurs when twisting or rotating the knee while bearing weight, especially in sports. The meniscus is a cartilage that cushions the knee joint, and a tear can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty straightening the knee.
PCL Injury (Posterior Cruciate Ligament): Less common than ACL tears, usually occurs in car accidents or sports when the knee is hit while bent. A PCL injury can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the knee.
Fractures: A break in any of the bones in the knee joint, most often the patella (kneecap), typically caused by trauma such as a fall or accident.
Dislocation: Occurs when the bones of the knee are forced out of alignment, often due to trauma or twisting injuries. It causes severe pain, swelling, and an obvious deformity of the knee.
Minor Knee Injuries: knee sprains, contusions, lacerations, and bruises are knee injuries that can be grouped together as “minor” injuries to the knee.
All of these different types of injuries can vary in severity, from mild strains to severe ligament tears or fractures, often requiring different treatment approaches from rest and physical therapy to surgery.
Average Settlement Payout for Knee Injuries
The overall average settlement payout for knee injuries (all types) in personal injury lawsuits is $65,000 to $145,000. Keep in mind that this is an average, the median settlement payout for knee injuries is significantly lower.
The average jury verdict for knee injuries when the case goes to trial is around $350,000. The median jury verdict for knee injuries is less than half that at $110,000.
Fractures of the knee and dislocations are the types of knee injuries with the highest average settlement values. Excluding “minor” injuries, PCL knee injuries have the lowest settlement value.
What Impacts the Settlement Value of Knee Injuries?
Several key factors significantly influence the average compensation payouts in knee injury accident cases.
Severity of the Knee Injury: The extent of the plaintiff’s knee injury is the most important factor. Generally, knee fractures and dislocations are considered more severe than ligament injuries, and ligament tears can vary in severity. The more serious the injury, the higher the potential settlement. The biggest factor driving settlement value is a permanent injury. As mentioned in the fifth factor, being able to tell a jury that the victim will suffer long-term or lifelong consequences from the injury greatly increases the settlement amount.
Level of Treatment: The level and extent of medical treatment that is required to treat the knee injury has a big impact on settlement value. Injuries that require extensive medical treatment, such as surgery, have a much higher settlement value.
Plaintiff’s Medical History: A history of preexisting knee injuries or degenerative conditions can reduce the case’s value. Insurance companies often argue that the knee injury resulted from preexisting issues rather than the accident itself.
Plaintiff’s Age: This factor ties closely to medical history. Since knee problems are often associated with aging, younger plaintiffs generally fare better in knee injury cases. It’s easier for a younger person to convince a jury or an insurance adjuster that their knees were fine before the accident.
Testimony from Treating Doctors: Whether the plaintiff’s treating doctor is willing to testify can have a significant impact. Treating doctors make highly credible expert witnesses, especially in knee injury cases, and their testimony carries more weight than that of a hired expert.
Permanent Impairment: The most critical factor influencing the payout is whether the injury results in permanent impairment. A permanent disability, especially one that affects the plaintiff’s ability to walk, can drastically impact their quality of life. As a result, compensation for a permanent injury is typically much higher than for an injury that eventually heals.
Knee Injury Settlements and Verdicts
Below are summaries of settlements and verdicts from actual injury cases in which the primary injury involved the knee.
$700,000 Verdict (New York 2024): The plaintiff, a 55-year-old male, was exiting his apartment and attempting to walk down the steps when he tripped and fell. As a result, he reportedly sustained multiple injuries, including a hyperextended left knee, a ruptured undersurface of the left quadriceps tendon, a lateral tear of the left vastus lateralis, a sprain of the left knee’s lateral collateral ligament, a partial tear of the left quadriceps tendon, and tearing of the body and anterior horn of the left lateral meniscus. Additionally, the fall aggravated pre-existing injuries to his right leg.
$119,980 Verdict (Pennsylvania 2024): The plaintiff alleged that he suffered a torn MCL in his right knee, a skull hematoma, and a right ankle contusion after he was struck by the male defendant’s vehicle as the plaintiff rode a skateboard along a public roadway. The plaintiff contended that the defendant operated his vehicle in a negligent manner, failed to keep a proper lookout, and failed to yield the right-of-way.
$75,000 Verdict (Florida 2023): The plaintiff, a 62-year-old male alleged that she suffered a foot fracture, a concussion, headaches, and a torn MCL in his knee when his vehicle traveled off the roadway and struck a tree after he swerved from a nonparty vehicle. He brought a claim against his insurance company for UIM benefits.
$93,250 Settlement (Michigan 2024): The plaintiff, a female, alleged that she suffered bilateral knee fractures, cervical and lumbar strains, multiple head abrasions and lacerations that resulted in scarring, and the subsequent aggravation of knee, cervical and lumbar injuries, when she slipped and fell on a greasy substance on the floor of the defendant’s Wendy’s restaurant, where she was a patron.
$268,000 Verdict (California 2023): The plaintiff, an adult female, suffered a torn ACL in her left knee and injuries to her back when she slipped and fell at the defendant’s store. The plaintiff contended, per a claim sounding in premises liability, the defendant was negligent in the use or maintenance of the property by failing to properly mop up a slippery substance in the store’s main aisle. The defendant disputed any causal relationship between the fall and the plaintiff’s claimed injuries.
$500,000 Settlement (Washington 2021): Plaintiff, female age 50, was on the premises of the defendant’s store. The day before, the store manager noticed that a “no parking” sign was leaning over. The store manager removed the sign and unscrewed it from its post, but did not remove the signpost base. He put a lightweight cloth “safety tent” over the base, but somehow it was removed. Plaintiff contended she was getting a shopping cart when she tripped over the unguarded base that stood up a few inches from the concrete, falling on her knee. She suffered a fractured knee requiring surgery.
$50,000 Verdict (Maryland 2021): The plaintiff was involved in a low-speed collision in a parking lot. He suffered injuries to his hip and foot, and he also suffered a torn right MCL. After settling with the at-fault driver’s insurance for policy limits, he sought additional coverage under his UIM policy.
Contact Us About Knee Injury Cases
If you have suffered a serious knee injury in an auto accident, call our national personal injury attorneys today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.