If you suffered a broken bone in a car accident in Texas, you may be entitled to take your case to a personal injury attorney, go to court, and get compensation for your injuries. Many times, court cases end in settlement rather than a jury verdict. A settlement is not always right for every case – and sometimes it is better to fight your case in open court until a jury rules in your favor. Either way, the concept of calculating damages for an injury are rather complex. It isn’t always an issue of how much a particular injury is “worth,” but rather how the injury affects your life, and what it costs you financially, physical, and emotionally that helps calculate a settlement. If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident in Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth, or the surrounding areas, talk to one of our Arlington, TX car accident lawyers at The Queenan Law firm today.
Broken Bone Damages in a Car Accident
In a car accident, you can suffer many different types of broken bone injuries. For those who have broken a bone before, you may understand the pain and recovery time associated with one of these injuries. Although many people may have broken a wrist, a finger, or a toe before, the injuries you can sustain in a car accident may be much more severe. Not only are the risks of breaking vital, hard to heal bones increased, but the chance of more severe broken bones is increased.
In a car accident, you may break your wrist or your leg, but there are dozens of other potential broken bones that you could suffer. Some of the more severe broken bone injuries in a car accident involve your neck, spine, or skull. In severe car accidents, you can face severe spinal cord injuries. Even something as simple and common as whiplash has the potential for serious pain and discomfort. In a whiplash injury, the muscles, tendons, and bones in your neck can become injured. These injuries may take a long time to heal. Injuries to the bones in your spinal column have a serious risk of causing spinal cord injuries. If these bones are fractured, the spinal cord becomes vulnerable to injuries that can cause numbness, loss of motor function, or even total paralysis below the point of injury.
The most serious bone fractures may be skull fractures. Especially if you are hit by debris during a car accident, a skull fracture could mean traumatic brain injuries underneath. The skull is a relatively strong bone, but it is not invincible. If you suffer skull fractures, your brain may be left vulnerable to damage. If you suffer penetrating injuries or sharp pieces of debris enter your brain cavity, the damage to the skull and the brain may be irreparable.
Even with the safety features in car accidents, you can face broken bone injuries in many parts of your body. These could include broken:
- Arms, hands, and fingers
- Legs, feet, and toes
- Collar bones
- Ribs
- Neck
- Back and spine
- Hips
- Skull
Calculating Broken Bone Compensation in Texas Courts
The monetary damages you can receive from a broken bone depend on many factors. In a Texas car accident lawsuit, the goal of compensation is to set your injuries right. This means covering all of the economic effects of a bad car accident, and helping to put right the physical and mental effects in the best way that money can.
In a car accident, you may be entitled to three main areas of damages. The first is medical expenses. Any money you had to spend to treat your injuries should be reimbursed by the person who caused your injuries. This includes the cost of medical bills, emergency treatment and transportation, rides to and from the hospital, etc. If you missed work because of your injuries, you may be entitled to the second area of damages, lost wages. Any paychecks you missed because of your injuries should be paid to you, including past wages, and even future wages if you are too injured to return to work. Lastly, you may be entitled to direct compensation for your physical pain and mental suffering. There is no way to put a price tag on a specific injury, but courts judge the amount based on how severe the injury is, and what negative effects it has on your life.
Calculating these costs is a job for the jury, not the judge or the other side’s attorneys. This means keeping good records of medical expenses and lost wages, and bringing them before the court. Your own testimony about your experiences with the pain and the effects that the injury had on your life and lifestyle are also good evidence that helps a jury determine what your case is worth. In Texas, there are no caps or limits on these damages, so you may be entitled to whatever amount a jury sees fit. If you accept a settlement, you may be missing out on certain amounts that you would otherwise be entitled to. Talk to a Texas personal injury attorney to understand what your case is worth before accepting any payments for car accident injuries.
Texas Car Accident Lawyers Offering Free Consultations
An Arlington TX personal injury lawyer at The Queenan Law Firm, P.C., work to get compensation for injured car accident victims. If you suffered a broken bone in a car crash, talk to our lawyers today for a free consultation on your case. Call (817) 476-1797 today.