How Do You Deal with Fractured Ribs After an Accident?

You should seek medical attention immediately if you suffer a rib injury. Your first priority after any injury should be your health, but if you didn’t cause your injury you should also keep a potential lawsuit in mind. Have all the medical bills documented so that it can be the basis of your compensation claim. The document should also include any potential long-term effects that may arise from the rib injury.

Some insurers tend to undervalue rib injury cases, meaning they are willing to put up a fight if you request full value to compensate for the harm done to you. Insurance companies argue that no modern medicine can treat fractured ribs; only time can heal them. But, you must seek medical help immediately if you fracture your ribs so you have a medical record to use for evidence when suing the party who was at-fault in your accident or assault.

How to Determine That You Have Fractured Ribs

In the vast majority of cases, you will not be able to know whether or not your ribs are broken without getting an X-ray. However, there are some signs your ribs may be broken. These include:

• Your chest hurts when you take a deep breath.
• Your pain will increase when you laugh or cough.
• You have bruising where the brake occurred.
• The spot where the rib is broken is tender to the touch.
• Your pain will increase if you twist your upper body.

You’ll need to see a doctor after any accident in which you believe you’ve been injured. You should also reach out to an attorney after an injury if you believe another party was at fault.

Most likely, your lawyer won't see eye to eye with the insurance company because they don't define fractured ribs as it's supposed to be defined. Fractured ribs refer to a crack or break in the rib cage. Also, if your cartilage connecting the ribs in the thoracic cage happens to break, this can be termed as fractured ribs as well.

Settlement for Fractured Ribs Case

Fractured ribs after an accident case should be valued somewhere between $15,000 to $100,000, depending on the individual circumstances of your case. This is because it's difficult to determine the value of a fractured ribs case because of the pain and medical treatment involved.

Note that the more fractured ribs you have, the more value will be attached to the case. For example, five fractured ribs are worth more than one fractured rib. Apart from the number of fractured ribs, the amount of money spent on hospital bills plays a significant part.

Also, you need to seek an expert opinion to determine if there are other forms of treatment that you will also need in addition to the fractured ribs treatment. If your treatment goes beyond fractured ribs, then the settlement will automatically be higher.

What Could Cause Fractured Ribs

Fractured ribs could be incurred during construction work, ATV accidents, staircase accidents, car or truck accidents, slip and fall accidents, and pedestrian accidents. Fractured ribs lead to a period of recovery, which reduces your work capability. Consequently, you may lose out on a monthly payment, and you might be forced to depend on your family to cater to medical bills.

Fractured ribs could require you to undergo physical therapy, plus the pain and suffering linked to it can cause trauma because you're required to adjust to the new reality. Luckily, as long as your attorney can prove that the involved party played a direct role in you incurring the injuries, then you should receive compensation.

Conclusion

You can follow this link to learn how a personal injury lawyer can help you with your case. It doesn't matter how small an injury might seem; it can lead to serious long-term side effects. Remember, fractured ribs could lead to heart and lung issues later on.

When hiring an attorney, look for someone who will keep your best interests at heart, and who is willing to fight for your rights. You should also be involved in the decision-making because you're the victim, and you deserve to have a say in the case.