Pedestrians rarely get the respect and attention they deserve from California drivers. Drivers might speed through an intersection or even get distracted and veer off a roadway to injure a defenseless person on foot.
Victims might suffer multiple broken bones, including rib fractures. Broken ribs are painful and in the worst cases, these bones can break and threaten the internal organs they protect. Seeking the help of a California pedestrian accident lawyer after a serious collision helps earn victims the financial support they need to recover after a frightening accident.
Contact a California Pedestrian Accident Attorney for a Free Consultation
When a driver’s carelessness is responsible for your rib injury, you should go over your options with a skilled personal injury lawyer. A car insurance adjuster may tell you that you aren’t owed anything for your injuries or your financial and emotional hardships. This isn’t true, but if you aren’t aware of what you can demand from an at-fault driver’s insurer, you may miss out on securing the compensation you need to make a full recovery.
A California Pedestrian Accident Broken Bone 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 pedestrian accident injury claim. We also help pedestrian victims who are struck by hit-and-run drivers or uninsured drivers find the support they need to rebuild their lives.
California Pedestrian Accident Broken Bone Dangers
Pedestrians are often at risk of broken bones at three stages of their accidents. They may suffer cracked ribs in the initial impact with the metal body of the car. They may end up slamming into the hood or sides of a vehicle to suffer additional fractures. Then, pedestrians usually end up on the pavement to suffer additional chances of trauma.
Yale Medicine details how dangerous a rib injury can be for vulnerable pedestrians. They point out that the rib cage protects vital organs in the chest and abdomen. Victims are also at risk of major damage to blood vessels.
Victims go through a lot of pain and often find out how important the ribs are in the breathing process. Patients might experience intense pain with each breath, cough, or laugh. Shallower breathing might lead to infections.
These dangers and others make it critical that victims demand support through recovery from car insurance providers for however long healing takes. A skilled California Pedestrian Accident Lawyer knows that rib damage can easily result in a long-term injury that affects a victim’s career and family life. A lawyer would be working to get financial support for victims for their damages now and those expected in years ahead.
Prognosis for Rib Fracture Victims
Yale Medical experts find that normal rib injuries usually only require about six weeks to heal, but pain can continue beyond that timeline. Recovery will include pain management and home care for patients. A trip to the emergency room and the medication to endure pain with every movement will still be expensive for victims and their families.
With more serious injuries, California pedestrian victims may need immediate trauma care and surgery. Victims with several ribs broken in multiple places could need an operation to rebuild the ribs and hold them in place with metal hardware so they heal correctly. Ribs left sticking through the skin would require immediate surgery for corrective care.
Upper ribs sent far out of alignment can break and leave sharp edges that might puncture a lung. They can also rip through a blood vessel that supplies the heart with blood. Lower rib injuries might damage the liver or spleen.
Any rib injury requiring surgery can quickly cost victims tens of thousands of dollars. These costs should never be left for pedestrians and their families to pay after a careless driver’s reckless actions. A California broken rib pedestrian accident lawyer collects all the evidence available and uses it to hold a car insurance company fully liable for all injury costs and the expenses a victim can’t pay while they lose paychecks at work.
What Kind of Rib Injury Compensation Can I Expect after a California Pedestrian Accident?
A rib injury lawyer can help you seek coverage for damages to your health and finances you might not have considered.
The amount on a rib 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 skill of your lawyer at negotiating with insurance adjusters and presenting a strong case backed with evidence also plays a role in the size of your pedestrian accident settlement check.
The hardships that will be considered when determining your amount of compensation will include these factors and others:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future lost wages and benefits
- Support for any permanent disfigurement
- Life-long support for a permanent disability
- Pain and suffering, including the emotional trauma injured patients endure
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Replacement of personal property damaged in the accident
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I seek help with recovery costs if I wasn’t in a crosswalk when I was hit?
The answer is often yes. California is a comparative negligence state and that means a driver and a pedestrian can share blame in a crash. The victim could still receive support but would have their percentage of blame deducted.
How long do I have to file a personal injury accident claim?
24 months. You have two years from the date of your pedestrian accident to file an injury claim. You shouldn’t wait. Evidence can disappear and witnesses can be hard to track down if you delay in contacting a personal injury lawyer.
What if I can’t afford to pay a personal injury lawyer?
You can still get quality legal representation. Maison Law works on a contingency fee. It means we don’t get paid unless we win your case. Then our fee comes out of the pedestrian accident settlement you are awarded.
Contact a California Rib Injury Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one have suffered a pedestrian accident injury due to a careless driver’s mistake, contact a California Pedestrian Broken Bone Attorney with Maison Law. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to all California accident victims and their families. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your rib fracture is worth and how to demand a fair settlement from an insurance company.
