As California cyclists count off the miles, they remain extremely vulnerable to any motorist in a rush and any motorist who allows themselves to become distracted. A strike from a careless driver can send riders down to the pavement. The impacts can break bones, and the ribs are often the first bones to fracture.
Bicyclists with rib injuries could need weeks or months before they can move without pain. More serious complications can also arise. Victims should first seek medical attention and then contact a California Bicycle Accident Rib Injury Lawyer to make sure they receive full support during recovery.
Contact a California Bicycle Accident Attorney for a Free Consultation
When a driver’s carelessness is responsible for your rib injury, you’ll have one chance to secure the compensation you’ll need now and possibly in the future. You are encouraged to file a bicycle accident claim against the car insurance company representing that motorist.
Insurance adjusters won’t automatically supply everything you’ll need in recovery, but with strong legal representation, it’s possible to hold an insurer fully liable.
A California Bicycle Accident Traumatic Injury Lawyer protects you during settlement negotiations to make sure you and your family receive everything required to pay hospital and physical therapy bills. Contact Maison Law to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation and find out what your rib injury is worth and how to maximize your bicycle accident injury claim.
Rib Injury Hazards for California Cyclists
A distracted driver can veer over into a bike lane while looking at a text. A reckless motorist might make a turn in front of the cyclist they didn’t see approaching or the cyclist right beside them. A family may be out for a ride in the neighborhood when a careless driver collides with a loved one.
Survivors may feel lucky that a serious bicycle accident only results in cracked ribs. But fractured ribs can keep cyclists off their bikes for weeks. This forced break from exercise and fresh air can affect a victim’s physical health further and affect mental wellbeing.
It’s also important to note that rib injuries can also affect the vital organs they are meant to protect.
The Mayo Clinic explains that accident victims with rib injuries usually experience cracked ribs. The ribs remain mostly in place and can heal on their own without adjustment. But when the break is more serious, a sharp edge of a broken bone can harm major blood vessels or lungs and other organs. The cartilage around the ribs can also be damaged.
Even with minor breaks, the pain of coughing, or bending and twisting can be intense. This certainly affects a cyclist’s ability to ride a bike. Pain control through oral medication or injection is often key to allowing patients to breathe deeply and avoid side effects, like a case of pneumonia.
Bicycle Accident Rib Injury Diagnosis and Cost
Usually, a standard broken rib injury heals on its own in a month and a half or longer. But when surgery is necessary to stabilize a rib broken in several pieces or to stop internal bleeding, victims may be limited for many months.
When multiple ribs are badly fractured or when an internal organ, like a kidney or spleen, is lacerated, multiple surgeries may be necessary. Sometimes rib injury victims require additional surgeries in the future to reduce lingering pain. The cost of this extended care can easily reach $20,000 or more. That’s not to mention the cost of physical therapy that might be necessary to get a cyclist strong enough to get back on a bike again.
A California Bicycle Accident Lawyer asks for support for clients for their current bills, but they also factor in the difficulties that may arise down the road. A rib injury settlement needs to include money for medical care expected to be necessary for the future.
What to Do If You are in a California Bicycle Accident
Your bike accident attorney will be building a strong case for you, but your lawyer can’t be there in the moments after a bicycle collision. Unfortunately, this difficult time for victims is the best time to gather the strongest proof that a careless driver caused your accident.
Some rib injuries will allow victims to get up and move around in the early going. If you are able and the scene is secure, try to collect these important details on the scene of an accident:
- Contact 911 even if you think your injury is minor. That injury may hurt a lot more the next day and reveal a hairline fracture in your ribs and/or internal bleeding. Let paramedics check everything out. Tell the police everything you remember of the moments leading up to the accident so they can construct an accurate collision report.
- Use your cellphone to take photos. Document the scene, your bike damage, street signs, and lane markings. Show the streetlights present (or lack of them) on the scene in a nighttime accident. Get photos of the car, license plate, and any damage to the vehicle and bicycle. Get pics of any injuries that are visible and any damage to clothing. If you are wearing a helmet demonstrate that in photos.
- Check for security cameras nearby. Businesses or homes might have documented your accident.
- Get witness contact information and find out what they observed.
- Exchange information with everyone involved but don’t make any statements about what happened or how badly you are hurt. Insurance companies can use these statements against you later.
- Schedule a medical check-up with your doctor. Keep all bills for your care.
- Keep any damaged personal items, including your bicycle. Hold onto all evidence.
What Kind of Rib Injury Compensation Can I Expect after a California Bicycle Accident?
A bicycle collision rib injury lawyer can help you seek coverage for damages to your health and finances you might not have considered. The amount on an injury settlement check is hard to predict because each case is different. Every patient heals at their own pace and the costs of care can vary greatly between California hospitals.
The hardships that will be considered when determining your compensation will include these factors and others:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future lost wages and benefits
- Any permanent disfigurement
- Any permanent disability
- Pain and suffering. Including the emotional trauma injured cyclists endure.
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Repairs to Bicycle or Replacement
Contact a California Rib Injury Bicycle Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one have suffered a bicycle accident injury due to a careless driver’s mistake, contact a California Bicycle Traumatic Injury Attorney with Maison Law. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to all California bicycle accident victims. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your bicycle accident injury is worth and what you should demand from an insurance company.
If you decide we can help you earn more for your bicycle accident rib injury, you won’t need to have any money now. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you, and then our fee comes out of the settlement you receive.
