An analysis on personal injury cases for Pennsylvania finds that plaintiffs receive a higher median award for knee injuries, at $75,000, than for head injuries, at $26,250. The median award for the state overall is $80,000, while the overall plaintiff recovery probability - the number of plaintiff verdicts to total verdicts - for Pennsylvania is 50 percent compared to a 55 percent national recovery probability, according to Jury Verdict Research®'s 2006 Pennsylvania Verdict Survey.

The statistics are based on verdicts rendered in Pennsylvania from 1999 through 2005. The study also includes a breakdown of specific liability categories in the state of Pennsylvania and an arbitration analysis.

The median is the middle value among awards listed in ascending order. This value provides the most accurate gauge of the norm for a specific sampling of jury award data.

Jury Verdict Research® maintains the only nationwide database of more than 250,000 plaintiff and defense verdicts and settlements, resulting from personal injury claims. The data are reported, tabulated and analyzed to determine values, trends and deviations for 400 injuries and 300 liabilities. Jury Verdict Research® is a division of LRP Publications, Inc.