If you or a loved one suffered broken ribs in a recent car accident, you could pursue damages to recoup your losses. Compensation could cover medical expenses, car repairs, and more.
Insurance contracts and lawsuits are complicated, which is where our team at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine comes in. We can manage every aspect of your case and fight to protect your rights. You don’t need to face aggressive insurance adjusters alone. Continue reading to learn what a Delray Beach car accident lawyer can do for you.
Broken Ribs And Car Accidents
Research from the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock suggests that car accidents are one of the leading causes of rib fractures. The severity of a broken rib depends on the type of fracture you’ve experienced. A cracked rib typically heals on its own after six weeks, but loose bone shards can cause damage to veins and arteries.
Knowing that you have a broken rib is essential, as this can allow you to undergo treatment sooner. Typically, broken ribs cause the following symptoms:
- Pain while breathing in
- A sensation of pressure in the injured area
- Pain while twisting or moving the torso
Broken Rib Complications
While relatively minor on their own, broken ribs can lead to the following severe complications:
- Torn lung: Fragments of a broken rib can kick loose and tear into the lungs, which can lead to the lung caving in.
- Damage to spleen, liver, or kidney: The lower portion of the ribs, if broken, can damage the spleen, liver, or kidney.
- Aorta tear: The aorta is a major artery supplying blood to the heart. Bone fragments can damage or tear this artery after a fracture, leading to significant complications.
If you suspect your ribs are broken after a car accident, seek medical attention. Speaking with a doctor accomplishes two goals. First, it ensures that you receive treatment as soon as possible. Second, it provides valid medical documentation of your injuries. If your injuries are undocumented, winning an insurance claim or lawsuit could be challenging.
Pursuing Compensation After Suffering From Broken Ribs
You were in a car accident, and your ribs were broken; what’s next? Typically, you’ll have three ways to pursue compensation, depending on the specifics of your case:
- File a claim with your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance provider
- File a liability insurance claim against the driver responsible for your injuries
- File a lawsuit against the driver responsible for your injuries
PIP insurance, which is mandatory in Delray Beach, only provides coverage for 80% of your medical expenses, up to a $10,000 limit. This coverage may not fully offset the losses you experienced after your accident.
If you file a liability insurance claim or lawsuit against the responsible driver, you could access the full spectrum of damages, which include:
- Medical expenses
- Mental anguish, pain, and suffering
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Wrongful death compensation
- Car repair costs
Pursuing a liability insurance claim or lawsuit removes the $10,000 limit, allowing you to access more damages. However, in these cases, you must be able to prove that another driver or party was responsible for your injuries. A Delray Beach broken ribs lawyer from our team can assist you with this portion of your case.
Am I Eligible For A Lawsuit?
Delray Beach adheres to a no-fault insurance system. Under this law, you cannot file an insurance claim or lawsuit against the at-fault driver unless you’ve suffered a severe injury. You can only rely on your PIP insurance if you haven’t suffered a severe injury.
Under Florida Statutes § 627.737, the following types of injuries are considered serious:
- Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function
- Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement
- Significant or permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Death
Don’t fret if you don’t know if you’re eligible for a liability claim or lawsuit. During a free case evaluation, our team can explain your options.
Establishing Fault
If you aren’t using your PIP coverage, opting instead for a lawsuit or liability claim against the responsible driver, you’ll need to establish fault. Our team can manage this portion of your case by gathering evidence, including:
- Traffic camera footage
- Police reports
- Eyewitness statements
- Your medical records
- Input from experts, like crash reconstruction specialists
Then, with this evidence, we can work towards proving that another driver or party is responsible for your injuries. To do so, we’ll need to prove the four elements of negligence, which include:
- The liable party owed you a duty of care: Every driver on the road is responsible for keeping others from harm; this responsibility is known as a duty of care.
- The liable party didn’t uphold this duty: By behaving negligently, the party responsible for your injuries didn’t uphold their duty of care.
- The liable party’s negligence caused your injury: Through evidence, your lawyer needs to show that the liable party’s negligence caused your injuries.
- You suffered injuries: Finally, your medical records must demonstrate that you were injured.
Working With A Delray Beach Broken Ribs Lawyer
Our law firm is here to help you make sense of the aftermath of your car accident. We can provide you with the following services:
- Investigating the details of your car accident
- Negotiating aggressively with insurers for a fair settlement offer
- Communicating with all parties involved in your case so that you don’t have to
- Filing a lawsuit, if needed
- Always representing your best interests
Car accidents are messy, but we can simplify them. While you focus on your recovery, we can take the fight to insurers or a rival legal team. You deserve to rest and receive fair compensation. We can help you achieve these goals with as little fuss as possible.
The Cost Of Hiring A Lawyer
Car accidents can saddle you with debt, but our law firm won’t. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront, and don’t need to pay us unless you receive compensation. If you have further questions about our payment plan, we can discuss them during a free case evaluation.
Broken Ribs Lawsuits Deadline
You don’t have unlimited time to file a lawsuit after suffering from broken ribs. The personal injury statute of limitations generally provides a standard four-year deadline, per Florida Statutes § 95.11(3)(a). If you miss this deadline, which may shift depending on the specifics of your case, you’ll lose the opportunity to file a lawsuit.
To ensure that you stay on top of your deadlines, a Delray Beach broken ribs lawyer from our team can:
- Inform you of any deadlines associated with your case
- Keep track of these deadlines so that you don’t have to
- Submit relevant documentation in a timely manner
Work With A Broken Ribs Car Accident Lawyer Today
Our personal injury team at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine is ready to take your call. Contact our offices for a free no-obligation case evaluation today.
We Can Help.
