If someone else caused your shoulder injury in an accident, you are likely worried about your medical bills and your future. You may have a case to get money for your pain, suffering, and lost wages.
On this page, I will show you real shoulder injury settlements I have won for my clients, including:
$210,000 for a shoulder surgery after a truck accident.
$197,500 for a fractured arm and surgery after a slip and fall.
$150,000 for a rotator cuff tear from a truck crash.
Below, you will find a guide on how shoulder cases work in Florida and what affects the value of your claim.
Here is a video where I talk about shoulder injury settlements.
How Insurance Companies Fight Shoulder Claims
Even if your accident was clearly someone else’s fault, the insurance company will try to find reasons to pay you less. They often claim your shoulder pain was a “pre-existing condition” or just part of getting older.
They may use medical terms like impingement or instability to argue that your injury wasn’t caused by the crash. I know these tactics well, and I know how to use your medical records to fight back.
$250,000 Settlement for Broken Shoulder from Slip and Fall
Angela lives in DeBary, Volusia County, Florida. In 2018, she decided to take a vacation and stay at a resort in Lake Buena Vista (near Orlando), Florida. While attempting to take a bath, she slipped and fell. She fractured her proximal humerus.
In the MRI image below, you can clearly see her fractured shoulder.
red arrow on MRI image points to proximal humerus fracture
At Orlando Health hospital, doctors performed surgery. Specifically, she had several screws and a plate put into her shoulder.
X-ray of hardware inside upper arm bone (humerus)
About 20 days after she broke her arm, she began searching for an attorney who had a settlement for a broken arm from a slip and fall in a hotel bathtub. (Her husband saw my prior $197,500 settlement for a broken arm, which you’ll hear about in a moment). Check out the settlement check from that case:
You May Owe Your Health Insurance Company Much Less Money if You Hire a Lawyer
In her case, one of the big reasons was to hire an attorney was because her health plan would have to reduce its lien by her pro-rata attorney’s fees and costs. But she’d only get that benefit if she hired a lawyer.
Let me explain:
When your health “insurance” pays medical bills and you settle an injury case, the health plan may try to get paid from the settlement. Angela had health insurance through her husband’s job in the local city government. In Florida, if your health insurance is through the city, county or state, it has to reduce its lien. It has to reduce its lien by your attorney’s fees, costs and other equitable factors. Police officers, firefighters, and all city, county and state employees in Florida are subject to this law. It’s a good law for injured people.
As you’ll see in a moment, this resulted in over a $7,000 savings to her. I’m still fighting to get an even a bigger reduction. Like an additional $8,000.
Shortly after we spoke, she hired me as her personal injury lawyer.
Unfortunately, even after surgery, Angela had pain. Ultimately, the orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Benjamin Service) removed the hardware from her arm. An additional surgery adds major value to a case.
Here is what her incision looked like after the doctor removed the hardware:
Incision after hardware removal surgery from Angela’s arm.
The hotel’s insurance company’s first offer made a first offer of $12,500. I found some online reviews where other guests complained about issues with the same hotel’s bathroom.
The settlement was for 26 times the insurance company’s first offer! This $250,000 settlement is much higher than the average settlement for a broken arm from a slip and fall accident.
This is a comparison between Philadelphia Insurance Company’s first and final offer:
About 96% of this payout was for pain and suffering:
Angela’s health insurance company paid most of her medical bills. We had to pay them back.
Since she had an attorney (me), I was able to her health insurance company to accept under $9,500 as settlement of their lien.
After paying off Angela’s health care lien, and charging for my attorney’s fee and costs, Angela got $157,353 in her pocket.
Angela got a check for 63% of the total settlement.
The $250,000 settlement was 27 times her final out of pocket medical bills and health insurance liens.
At least in this case, Philadelphia seems to have been more fair than in the past. I actually enjoyed working with the two Philadelphia Insurance adjusters assigned to this case: Dawn Hicks and Korina Bars.
Her health plan paid around $23,000 in medical bills. It offered to reduce its lien by my pro-rata attorneys fees and costs. Since I charged Angela 33 and 1/3 percent of the total settlement, the health plan had to reduce by the same percentage (33 and 1/3).
Thus, the health plan (via the Rawlings Company) offered to accept around $15,000 to settle its lien. I argued that Angela didn’t get full value because of the difficulty in proving her case. Therefore, I offered the Rawlings Company $7,430 to settle its lien. They accepted my offer.
Most importantly, Angela is very happy with the settlement.
$240,000 Settlement for Fractured Shoulder (Fall at Motel)
Shirley was staying at a hotel in Hollywood, Florida. While she was in the pool courtyard, she claimed that she tripped over a raised edge (1/2 an inch or so) in the walkway. She said that she didn’t see it before she tripped.
Shirley had horrible shoulder pain. Paramedics came to the hotel and took her to the hospital.
There, an x-ray showed that she broke her upper arm bone (humerus).
Shortly thereafter, she searched for a hotel injury lawyer. I gave her a free consultation and she hired me.
After the fall, Shirley’s friend came to the hotel. She took a photo showing that the general area was blocked off.
As you can see from the photo, yellow caution tape was put up after the fall.
It was good to have this photo.
However, it would have been MUCH better if the Shirley’s friend would have walked much closer to the alleged hazard that Shirley tripped over and taken several photos of it. She should have taken photos from different angles.
Always take photos from close up and far away of the hazard that caused you to break your arm. And use measuring tape to measure the change in height of the walkway. I can’t stress this enough.
Shirley was eventually able to take photos and and video of the walkway. She sent them to me.
I added a red arrow to the area where Shirley claimed that she tripped and fell.
Take a look:
However, I could not see anything wrong with the walkway. This concerned me.
This is because, in any personal injury case, you have to show that someone did something wrong in order for you to get compensation. And if at the time of Shirley’s trip and fall, there was nothing wrong with the walkway, she would not have a case.
I assume that the hotel owner or its management company fixed the walkway very quickly after her fall.
A doctor performed surgery on her broken arm (humerus)
A doctor put a plate and screws in her shoulder to fix Shirley’s arm. This is an x-ray of her plate and screws in her arm.
They used staples to sew up her arm.
You can see the staples:
Medicare paid most of her medical bills.
Raphael and Associates handled the claim for the hotel’s insurance company, The Princeton Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance Company.
Raphael’s first offer to us was only $20,000! Take a look at my email to them after we got that offer.
After a whopping 10 offers later, we settled with the hotel’s insurance company for over $240,000.
Here’s the redacted settlement check:
The good news?
The settlement was 12 times the hotel’s insurance company’s first offer. I estimate that around $233,000 (97%) of the settlement was for Shirley’s pain and suffering.
We had to pay Medicare back from the settlement. However, they had to reduce their claim by lawyer fees and costs. We paid Medicare $6,543 from the settlement.
After my attorney fees, costs, and paying Medicare and Shirley’s other health plans, she got $154,595 in her pocket.
I did not charge her a fee on $5,000 of the settlement, which was from the Medical payments coverage in the hotel’s insurance policy.
Shirley gave us this review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
She said:
Justin and Jenny [paralegal] are incredible!! They delivered in a big way financially helping me secure a significant settlement.
They also delivered in a caring way, understanding I was going through a very difficult and challenging time.
They were empathetic and personable; their world guidance and advise made everything so much easier for me.
I cannot thank them enough. I highly recommend working with them.
5 star review on Google Maps
Guest Gets $197,500 for Shoulder Fracture and Surgery from Slip and Fall
She claimed that the fall also worsened her pre-existing shoulder injury. The hotel’s insurer said it was questionable whether the shoulder surgery was related to the fall.
Glenoid, and Rotator Cuff
The head (top) of your upper arm bone goes into a round socket in the shoulder blade. The socket is known as the glenoid.
Several tendons and muscles in your allow your arm bone to be centered in the shoulder socket. The tissues are known as the rotator cuff.
These tissues blanket the head of your humerus and join it to the shoulder blade.
$210,000 Settlement for Shoulder Surgery (Rotator Cuff) from Truck Accident
Here is a video of some highlights of this settlement:
The injured trucker claimed that the crash caused or aggravated his shoulder labrum tear.
His doctor performed surgery to fix his labrum tear. He also claimed that the crash caused or aggravated his 3 herniated discs.
Travelers insured the careless truck driver. They paid $200,000 to settle my client’s personal injury claim.
My client had $10,000 in underinsured motorist insurance (UIM) coverage with Progressive on his personal car. When the crash happened, he was driving an 18 wheeler owned by his employer.
$170,000 Settlement for Fractured Shoulder from Car Accident
Zach lived in West Virginia. He came to vacation in Sarasota, Florida with his mom, sister and his mom’s friend (Jessie).
While in Sarasota, Florida, Jessie rented a car through Thrifty Car Rental. Jessie was driving the car. Zach was a back seat passenger.
Jessie crashed into the car in front of them. Zach’s arm struck the seat in front of him.
Zach was a minor (17 years old). Thus, his mom hired me to represent him in his personal injury claims.
I made a claim against the Thrifty rental car driver. When the driver rented the Thrifty rental car, he purchased a Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS). The LIS coverage gave him $2 million in liability coverage. GEICO insured his personal car in West Virginia. However, the rental car’s insurance was primary to the driver’s personal insurance.
After the accident, the rental car looked like this:
There, doctors diagnosed him with a distal humerus fracture. In this case, “distal” is the upper arm bone that is closest to the elbow.
A doctor operated on his arm bone.
Plate and screws in his arm bone (humerus).
Here is a photo of Zach at the hospital in Sarasota, Florida.
I found Justin after being in a car accident with my kids in Florida. My then 17 year old son suffered a fractured humerus and needed surgery with permanent hardware.
I tried for the first couple months to deal with the insurance companies on my own and then realized I needed professional help.
That’s when I found Justin and called him up for some advice. From the very first phone call I knew I could trust him. He worked tirelessly to make sure my son received a fair settlement for his injuries. He’s always available to answer your questions and concerns and fights hard so you can relax.
My son just received his settlement and is very happy! We could’ve never done this on our own. If you hire him to represent you, you won’t be disappointed!
$150,000 Truck Accident Settlement For Shoulder Surgery
Bodycam footage of the tractor-trailer at the scene
Mark is a retired state trooper, a husband, and a father of six. Before this truck crash, he was doing well physically and emotionally. Years earlier, Mark had a shoulder injury while protecting others on the highway. He chose conservative care instead of surgery and fully returned to an active life.
His retirement dream was simple: travel the country in an RV with his wife, visit family, and enjoy the freedom he earned after decades of service.
That dream was already underway when a tractor trailer changed everything.
The Truck Crash That Nearly Took Their Lives
While driving on the highway, traffic slowed. Mark checked his rearview mirror and felt his stomach drop. A tractor trailer was coming fast—and not stopping.
Despite clear daylight and visible traffic, the truck driver failed to react. Mark knew impact was unavoidable. Using his training and instincts, he accelerated to reduce the crushing force, braced for impact, and did everything possible to prevent a multi-car catastrophe.
The collision was violent. Glass exploded inside the SUV. The force threw Mark forward into the steering wheel and door. The vehicle suffered massive damage, including shattered rear glass and severe undercarriage destruction.
Mark and his wife were lucky to be alive.
A Traumatic Scene No One Forgets
Moments after the crash, Mark turned to check on his wife. Her face was cut and bleeding. Glass covered both of them. As a former trooper, Mark knew exactly how these crashes often end—and that knowledge made the fear worse.
He pushed through his own pain to help his wife, control the bleeding, and call 911.
This wasn’t just a crash. It was trauma.
Injuries That Wouldn’t Go Away
Later that day, Mark’s shoulder and back pain intensified. Emergency care confirmed ongoing issues, but the pain didn’t resolve. He tried to push through it with over-the-counter medication. It didn’t work.
Mark began treatment, but the pain persisted—especially in the same shoulder that had once healed without surgery. The crash had changed things.
Doctors ultimately told him the truth he didn’t want to hear: surgery was the only real option left.
Surgery, Pain, and a Long Road Back
Mark underwent shoulder surgery hoping for relief. Instead, he faced months of recovery.
He slept in a recliner for weeks. Pain medication, ice machines, and limited movement became daily life. Rehab was slow and painful. Sleep was difficult. The shoulder throbbed unpredictably.
Even after surgery, doctors warned him recovery could take a year or more—and might never be perfect.
The Hidden Losses People Don’t See
The crash didn’t just cause physical pain.
Mark and his wife missed trips they had planned for years. Vacations became endurance tests instead of memories. Activities with their children—boating, hiking, sports, amusement parks—were taken away.
Mark couldn’t do basic hands-on work he once handled himself. He had to hire help, lost rental income, and relied on his children for physical tasks he once enjoyed doing with them.
For someone used to leading, protecting, and providing, that loss of independence was crushing.
The Insurance Company’s First Offer: $25,000
Despite everything—surgery, permanent scarring, emotional trauma, lost income, and a high-impact truck crash—the insurance company started with a $25,000 offer.
That number didn’t come close to reflecting what Mark had been through.
It took persistence, documentation, leverage, and a lot of negotiation to force the insurer to take this case seriously.
Final Result: A $150,000 Truck Accident Settlement
After sustained negotiation and pressure, the case resolved for $150,000.
SETTLEMENT CHECK SHOWING THE FULL $150,000 RECOVERY.
Because Mark had legal representation, the amount he was required to repay his health insurance was reduced from over $15,000 to approximately $4,200, as required by law.
Description
Amount
Total Truck Accident Settlement
$150,000
Attorney’s Fees & Costs
$50,049
Health Insurance Lien (Reduced from $15,000+)
$4,200
Outstanding Medical Bills (Paid to Providers)
$626
NET TO CLIENT (Money in Pocket)
$95,124
This outcome didn’t happen quickly or easily. It required pushing back against a lowball strategy that’s common in truck accident claims—even when the facts are clear.
Why This Settlement Matters
Truck accident cases are not simple. Even when liability seems obvious, insurers often minimize injuries, downplay trauma, and anchor negotiations with unfair offers.
Mark’s case is a reminder that what’s offered first is rarely what’s fair—and that serious injuries deserve serious advocacy.
$130K Settlement for a Shoulder Injury from a Car Accident (North Florida)
Here is a short video about this settlement:
I settled this rotator cuff tear surgery case for $130,000. A car crashed into a car within which my client was a passenger.
Below is a photo of the car that my client was in.
Below is a diagram of the accident as drawn by the investigating police officer. Our client was a passenger in Vehicle 2 (as seen in the diagram below).
She had shoulder surgery following a car accident in Bonifay, North Florida. My client lived outside of Florida.
The shoulder surgery was unsuccessful so she later underwent a manipulation under anesthesia (MUA).
She was a nurse practitioner. The adjuster argued that my client’s tear was degenerative and caused by her job.
Her job involved lifting patients to and from a bed or chair. I argued that the crash’s heavy impact caused the acute tear.
Tendon Inflammation (tendinitis or bursitis) or tear of a tendon
Bursitis
Occasionally, too much use of the shoulder leads to inflammation and swelling of the bursa between the rotator cuff and the area of the shoulder blade that is called the acromion.
Here is a closeup of the acromion.
Acromion is in red. (Left scapula. View from the back.)
This swelling is called subacrominal bursitis.
If you have bursitis, liable party’s insurance company may argue that your bursitis was due to excessive use of your shoulder, and not the accident.
Bursitis can usually happen at the time as rotator cuff tendinitis.
Tendinitis
If you have tendinitis, the insurance company may argue that it was caused by a breaking down of the tendon that happened slowly through time. The insurance company may argue that the tendinitis wasn’t caused by the accident.
The insurance company may argue that your tendinitis:
Was caused by excessive overhead tasks at work or sport
a degenerative disease including recurring wear and tear or arthritiscaused by your age, that lead to chronic tendinitis.
Tendon Tears Can Be Accident Related or Not
Splitting of your tendons may come from an acute (sudden) injury such as a car accident or fall.
However, tendon tears can also come from degenerative changes due to your aging, wear and tear or overuse over a long period.
Since a tendon tear doesn’t always come from an acute injury like an accident, it can make these cases tougher to prove.
Hopefully, your doctor says that your accident caused your tendon tear.
The insurance company may hire a doctor who will likely say that the accident didn’t cause the tear. Their doctor will likely say that the tendon tear was due to your advancing age, long-term overuse and wear and tear.
Tears can be partial or full, where the tendon is split into 2 parts. In most complete tears, the tendon is ripped away from its joining to the bone.
Full Tears Have a Higher Full Settlement Value
All things equal, full tears are worth more than partial tears. Rotator cuff injuries and biceps tendon injuries are some of the most typical of these injuries.
Instability
Shoulder instability happens if the head of the humerus if pushed out of the shoulder socket. It can happen from sudden injury or overuse.
Hopefully your doctor says that your shoulder instability was caused by a sudden injury. The insurance company’s orthopedic doctor will likely say that overuse, and not the accident, is the cause of your shoulder instability.
Tip: Let the doctor know any activities that you can no longer do, or have difficulty doing, because of your shoulder injury. The doctor’s records are a big part of your case.
Average Settlement Value of Shoulder Injury Depends on Type of Injury
As you’ve seen, there are many different types of shoulder injuries. Each injury has a different value for the pain and suffering component of the case.
Thus, it’s difficult to say how much a “shoulder injury” is worth without knowing the specific facts of the case.
Other Factors Affecting Shoulder Injury cases
Amount of property damage (particularly true in auto accidents) to the vehicles involved.
How soon you complained of shoulder pain to a doctor after the accident.
Scooter Rider Gets $52,000 for Shoulder Pain and other injuries
Lady Gets $30,000 Settlement for Shoulder Pain and Other Injuries
Check out my $30,000 settlement after a driver was rear ended in Orlando, Florida. She claimed that the accident caused shoulder pain and other injuries.
Her shoulder pain wasn’t her biggest injury though. USAA insured the at fault driver.
USAA paid $30,000 to settle the case.
Passenger Gets $25,000 for Shoulder Labrum Tear and Other Injuries
He claimed that the accident caused soft tissue injuries to his shoulder and neck, and a concussion. He also claimed that he lost sensation in his fingertip.
$10K Settlement for Shoulder Fracture (Car Hit Pedestrian in Miami)
An ambulance took her from the accident scene to the hospital. She was diagnosed with a fracture of the shoulder and thumb.
She hired me shortly after the accident. Here is a photo of her (in my office) with a sling for her shoulder injury.
As you can see from the photo, she has bruising on her left arm. Accident victims should take photos of any bruising of their arm. The victim can use this if the insurance company tries to argue that the claimant had the injury before the accident.
Specifically, her shoulder fracture was an impacted comminuted fracture of the humeral neck. There was displacement of the greater tuberosity.
Her finger fractures were nondisplaced transverse fractures of the proximal metaphysis of the proximal and distal phalanges of the thumb.
Who paid the pedestrian’s medical bills?
The pedestrian didn’t own a car. She didn’t live a relative who owned a car. Thus, she was able to get $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) insurance benefits from the insurance company of the driver who hit her.
United Auto Insurance Company insured the car that hit her. Therefore, they paid $10,000 directly to her medical providers for her medical bills. This left her owing very little in medical bills.
Additionally, United Auto Insurance Company insured the at fault driver with a $10,000 BIL insurance policy. United Auto paid us the $10,000 BIL limits to settle her personal injury claim.
The settlement check is below:
She was very happy with her portion of the settlement. After my attorney’s fees, she received almost the entire settlement. Here is a picture of her and Attorney Justin Ziegler after we gave her the settlement check:
Unfortunately, the driver wasn’t driving for Uber or Lyft that would have given him more insurance coverage. Our client didn’t own a car or live with relatives. Thus, she wasn’t entitled to uninsured motorist insurance.
Shopper Wins $1.5 Million for Pain and Suffering for Shoulder Surgery
Jessie, a 70-year old woman, underwent major surgery to implant an artificial shoulder joint. The result of the surgery was poor. She was left with only limited movement of her arm which could only be fixed with a second major surgery.
Bellaiche refused to undergo a second surgery. Her attorney offered to settle with Publix for $126,000.00. Publix didn’t accept the offer.
On November 20, 2015, a jury returned a verdict for Bellaiche and awarded her over $1.5 million in damages.
You May Be Still Be Able To Settle Shoulder Injury Cases That Have Issues
I’ve been able to settle shoulder injury claims even though the case had some “issues.”
The bottom line is that every case is different. Even though you may have several things that work against you in a case, your case still may be worth a lot of money.
Using an Online Settlement Calculator to Calculate the Value of a Shoulder Injury Case
I strongly suggest that the injured person does not value his or her case based on an online settlement calculator.
Many Florida car or truck crash cases require that the injured person meet the tort threshold in order to get even one penny for pain and suffering.
A threshold injury usually consists of a permanent injury. This is true in shoulder tear cases. In the case of shoulder surgery, significant and permanent scarring may satisfy the tort threshold.
Not every Florida vehicular accident case requires that you meet the tort threshold, so you must understand the law. Do not expect the adjuster to explain the law to you.
Take a look at past Florida personal injury verdicts. You will see that some injuries have a history of meeting the tort threshold. Other injuries do not.
If you have a shoulder tear, you have a higher chance of meeting the tort threshold than shoulder pain alone.
If you have shoulder surgery, then you have an even higher chance of meeting the tort threshold than a shoulder tear without surgery.
Should you hire a lawyer if someone’s carelessness caused your shoulder injury in Florida?
A good way to know whether to hire a Florida attorney is to see if you know the purpose behind every question on this detailed twenty-one page personal injury questionnaire.
