A car crash at a busy Los Angeles intersection like Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue can easily carry enough force to crumple an entire car and crush a roof. These frightening collisions can cause enough crushing force to leave the victims inside vulnerable to devastating chest injuries.
A hard fall down a flight of creaky stairs or work involving heavy machinery also leaves you at risk of suffering broken bones in your chest and damage to internal organs.
When you suffer a chest injury and someone’s carelessness is responsible for the accident, it’s critical that you take advantage of a free consultation with a Los Angeles Traumatic Injury Lawyer. You should not be left to guess about what your recovery will cost and what you should be demanding in an insurance settlement.
Chest Injury Dangers in Los Angeles
Chest injuries often occur in traffic accidents and Los Angeles has no shortage of terrifying pileups. A hard collision with a steering wheel, an airbag, or even a seatbelt can dislodge ribs or bruise muscles and tendons. The breastbone is one of the most common bones in the chest left fractured in a car accident. Any of these bones can come loose and puncture the skin or turn inward and poke a major organ like the lungs and heart.
Pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists are often victims of severe chest injuries because they don’t have four metal walls protecting them as car occupants do. They can suffer a powerful impact with an SUV and then a collision with the ground. These accidents would leave motorists liable through their insurance providers.
People who work around machinery can suffer crush injuries and puncture wounds that target the chest. An employer’s unsafe work environment might leave them with more responsibility than just simply directing you to workers’ comp. A landlord or property management company may be liable if you are hurt in a fall over a hazard that should have been fixed. A Los Angeles personal injury lawyer would also hold store owners responsible when customers are allowed to take a fall or absorb a blow to the chest.
The Cost of Chest Injuries in Los Angeles
Getting the most out of your chest injury accident claim shouldn’t be thought of as selfish or greedy. The truth is that victims won’t know what they face ahead after serious chest damage. Anything they don’t secure in an insurance settlement would have to be paid for out of their own pockets.
It’s also important to examine just how long patients will be down with a chest injury and how much they’ll pay for medical care.
A painful broken rib or a sternum (breastbone) can take six weeks or more to heal. Movement with any fracture in the chest area will be excruciating during recovery. Simply shifting to one side or the other will prove difficult.
Care for a simple breastbone fracture might cost $800 plus emergency doctor fees and X-ray costs. When more serious damage has been done to organs, treatment costs quickly approach $10,000 and require emergency surgery.
How Can I Maximize the Compensation I Receive After a Los Angeles Chest Injury Accident?
There are actions you can take that will improve your chances of earning full compensation from a chest injury insurance claim. Insurance companies will have their adjusters questioning your level of fault in your own accident and the severity of your wounds. They hope to find any excuse at all to reject your claim or pay you less than what is fair.
Try to complete these steps after a chest injury to strengthen your claim. There are also some common mistakes you should avoid making to keep an insurance company from escaping accountability.
DO’S
- Call 911: You may not be sure how badly your chest is hurt but call for help first. Paramedics will check out and confirm your chest damage and also rush you to the hospital if you need emergency care. Make sure Los Angeles police officers or the California Highway Patrol respond to any car accident. They will write up an accident report that should serve as strong proof of what happened to you.
- Collect Evidence: If you feel up to it, take photos of the scene. In a traffic incident, get pictures of vehicle damage and the traffic signs that were ignored in your accident. After a slip-and-fall or an injury involving a tool or machinery, get a shot of the hazard. Take photos of visible injuries. Allow a manager or property owner to prepare an incident report. Get contact information from witnesses.
- Talk to a Los Angeles Chest Injury Lawyer: When your medical bills are high and your injury may be long-term, at-fault parties will have insurance adjusters and lawyers working to discredit your case. You’ll need a legal professional to protect your rights and secure the most in compensation available. Take advantage of a free consultation session to find out what insurance companies aren’t telling you.
DON’TS
- Don’t Offer Statements: On the scene of your chest injury accident, don’t talk about who was to blame for what happened or about how badly you are hurt. You won’t have all the facts about what happened at that point, and these comments can be twisted to use against your case. A few days later an insurance representative will call you asking for a recorded statement. Decline and only offer basic information. Let your Los Angeles chest injury lawyer handle all communications with insurance companies.
- Don’t Let Insurance Companies Stall: Insurance adjusters like to place your case on hold to watch you get desperate as bill collectors start calling you about your late payments on medical invoices. You’ll also probably be behind on rent, car payments, and the power bill after you’ve lost several paychecks while you were out of work. Your personal injury attorney will hold insurance companies to California guidelines that force them to respond to your claim in a reasonable amount of time.
- Don’t Accept “Lowball” Offers: Don’t sign off on settlement offers that leave you paying for part of your own recovery. An experienced Los Angeles Traumatic Injury Lawyer will have an accurate idea of what you’ll need to make a full recovery, physically and financially. If a settlement offer isn’t enough, your attorney fights for more until you have everything you need to rebuild your life. Allow a California Chest Injury Accident Lawyer to work to secure the maximum compensation for your accident claim.
Contact Maison Law of Los Angeles After a Chest Injury
Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, offers a free case evaluation for all chest injury victims and their families. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your injury is worth and how to make sure you get the most out of a chest injury insurance claim. Contact Mr. Gasparian to schedule a confidential, no-obligation consultation and talk to a real Los Angeles Traumatic Injury Lawyer today.
