Settlement ranges for concussion and TBI claims and how the numbers are built.
Brain injuries cover an unusually wide spectrum: a mild concussion that clears in ten days and a traumatic brain injury with lasting cognitive deficits both get called "TBI" in everyday conversation, but they settle nowhere near the same range. This page walks through where this site's calculator places each end of that spectrum and why.
Yes. Concussions frequently don't show up on standard CT or MRI imaging, since the damage is often at a cellular level. Neuropsychological testing and a documented symptom history matter more than imaging for mild cases.
Most mild concussions resolve within days to a few weeks. Symptoms lasting beyond three months are generally classified as post-concussion syndrome and support a higher severity assessment.
Loss of consciousness duration, imaging showing structural damage, and measurable cognitive or functional deficits confirmed by neuropsychological testing all distinguish a severe TBI from a mild concussion on this site's scale.
Often, yes, since cognitive deficits can affect job performance in ways that are harder to accommodate than a physical limitation, which is why economic experts frequently get involved in moderate-to-severe TBI claims.
If you can do so safely and your doctor clears it, yes, but document any accommodations or reduced performance, since that record supports the claim if symptoms persist.
| Severity tier | Multiplier | Typical concussion / TBI example |
|---|---|---|
| Serious | 3.5× | Concussion with symptoms lasting several weeks, no imaging findings |
| This page's default | 4.5× | Concussion / TBI claims generally, per this site's convention |
| Catastrophic | 5× (site ceiling) | Severe TBI with imaging-confirmed damage and lasting cognitive deficit |
This calculator's default multiplier for this page, 4.5x, sits near the top of the general range because cognitive and emotional impact routinely outlasts what's visible on the outside, unlike a broken bone that has an obvious endpoint. Run your bills through the injury claim calculator to see the full total; a genuinely catastrophic TBI with lasting care needs should involve a life-care planner rather than relying on this tool alone.
Loss-of-consciousness duration at the scene, if any, is one of the first data points an adjuster asks about, since longer LOC correlates with more severe injury. Neuropsychological testing, a formal battery of cognitive assessments, provides the objective evidence that turns a subjective complaint of "brain fog" into a documented deficit. A pre-existing history of concussions is a genuine complication, since repeat concussions carry cumulative risk that insurers will scrutinize closely when assigning causation.
Priya Raman covers the fine print of personal injury claims: what a formula actually measures, what it assumes, and where brain injuries push past what any formula can capture.