Hip injuries often have devastating consequences for victims. A hairline fracture is enough to take someone off their feet for months. And unfortunately, that time spent bedridden may lead to other health issues the victim must suffer through.
Around Los Angeles, these debilitating injuries are caused by highway and street collisions, slip-and-fall accidents at stores, mishaps on the job, and accidents at other public locations. When these accidents occur because of a driver’s mistake or the negligence of a business or property owner, victims shouldn’t be facing the costs of recovery alone.
A Los Angeles Traumatic Injury Lawyer works to identify those who bear legal liability for your accident. Then they proceed with building a strong case to get the most out of your broken hip injury claim. Contact a real Los Angeles personal injury lawyer today for an honest look at how much your hip injury is worth.
Broken Hip Accident Dangers in Los Angeles
Hip injuries are common in car accidents. Victims can have their legs jammed into the floorboards of the vehicle perhaps in a crash on the 405 Freeway. This quick action is more than enough to cause a fracture in any part of the hip socket.
A slip-and-fall at a public place like the South Coast Plaza Mall could leave you down with a hip injury. A spilled drink with ice littering the floor could be left out by mall operators until you come along to fall backward or sideways directly on the hip. A pothole in a Vons Supermarket parking lot might send you into a trip-and-fall that holds your foot in place to put injury-force pressure on a hip.
You can also injure a hip in a fall from height or a fall down a flight of stairs where you rent or where you work. A property manager or an employer should be alerting their insurance providers to cut you an injury settlement check.
Hip Injury Complications
The hip socket is essential to your ability to sit, bend, pivot, and walk. Most hip breaks take place in one of two places. They can result in a crack in the femoral neck. This injury is in the upper part of the femur (the large bone connecting the hip and knee) just below the ball part of the hip joint.
The other place that gets targeted is the intertrochanteric region that sits farther down from the hip joint on the part of the upper femur extending outward.
Hip fractures without complications often take several months of healing before a patient is able to walk again. However, full healing may take up to a year or more. For older patients, recovery time can be extended or even cause issues for a lifetime.
Maximizing your hip injury insurance claim becomes critical when you look over the list of potential issues created by hip fractures and their side effects.
Bedridden patients can experience:
- The loss of muscle mass while unable to exercise, increasing the risk of additional injuries.
- Blood clots in the affected area or the lungs.
- Bedsores.
- Pneumonia.
Screws or plates may have to be installed to stabilize a fractured hip. A hip injury could require a partial or total joint replacement. These procedures will easily boost a hospital bill into the tens of thousands of dollars.
These are other potential outcomes that make a Los Angeles Hip Injury Lawyer’s job so critical. Getting the most out of a hip injury claim means a smaller chance of victims facing financial turmoil in the years to come.
What Not to Say After a Broken Hip Injury in L.A.
A broken hip will leave you and your family on course for a financial crisis if you don’t secure what’s fair from at-fault parties. A claim for damages asks for support for all medical bills now and those costs expected in the future. A permanent disability would factor in expenses and hardships you’d face over a lifetime.
Your claim should also take into account the physical pain your hip injury causes you each day and the mental trauma of a difficult recovery. Your lost wages at work must also factor into the amount negotiated in an insurance settlement.
One way to maximize your injury settlement is to avoid saying the wrong thing at the wrong time immediately after your accident and in the days ahead:
- Don’t say “it’s my fault.” Admitting any kind of fault in your accident could cause you to lose out on valuable injury support. And, in fact, you may not bear any fault in the accident once it’s investigated. If you say you’re sorry you might allow an insurance company to later attempt to prove you took accountability for what happened, even when an accident report says otherwise.
- Don’t say you’ll “be fine.” Statements like these might indicate you aren’t injured, even when you are. The shock and adrenaline of what’s happened may hide the symptoms of a hip fracture for a day or more. An X-ray may reveal much worse damage in the days ahead. Don’t discuss how badly you are hurt on the scene. Insurance companies can twist these statements to use against you later.
- Don’t give statements over the phone. Insurance adjusters will call you after an accident. Their purpose is to get you to agree to make a recorded statement. They are hoping for a statement from you they can twist later to downplay your injuries or your innocence. Decline this request for a statement. Give them only basic information and then refer them to your Los Angeles Traumatic Injury Lawyer.
Evidence to Secure After a Los Angeles Hip Injury
Insurance companies don’t often make things easy for victims though. You’ll need all the proof you can get to make sure an insurance company can’t wiggle out of responsibility for their policyholder’s negligence.
Some of the best supporting evidence for your injury case will be found on the scene of your accident. If you are able, try to get photos of the damage to vehicles in a car accident. In a slip-and-fall injury, show the hazard that left you on the ground and suffering hip pain. This obstacle will likely be cleaned up or repaired as soon as you’ve left the scene. Snap pics of any visible injuries.
In a car accident, help police officers write up a collision report by providing them with every detail you think is relevant. On public property, after a trip-and-fall, alert a manager or property owner about what happened. They will likely be required to fill out an incident report. This report is also evidence in your corner.
Contact a Los Angeles Hip Injury Lawyer to Get the Most Out of Your Insurance Claim
Trusting your case to a skilled Los Angeles Broken Hip Injury Lawyer may be the most important factor in getting the most in a settlement check. Your lawyer will investigate your accident and may find there is more than one party that should be providing financial support for your recovery. Your attorney will also make sure you don’t accept a “lowball settlement offer.” These unfair offers are rejected and your attorney fights for more for you and your family.
There’s an easy, no-risk way to determine just what your case is worth. Contact Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.
If you feel Maison Law can help you earn the maximum compensation available for your injury, you won’t need any money upfront. Mr. Gasparian doesn’t get paid unless he wins your case.
