Car accidents can result in severe injuries; one of the most common is broken bones. This injury type can require extensive time off work and costly medical treatment. Recovering from injuries can be stressful, but a Tampa, FL, broken bones car accident lawyer from our law firm can help.
If you’ve suffered an injury due to another driver’s negligence, we can help you hold them accountable, negotiate an insurance company settlement, and answer your questions. Our Tampa personal injury team is ready to put our resources together and work with you to get the damages you qualify for.
How Bones Can Break in a Tampa Car Accident
If you were involved in a motor vehicle collision, you might have been injured:
- By the steering wheel, dashboard, door, or window since the impact may lead to a door buckling or your legs being trapped under the dashboard
- While bracing for impact, which can cause broken leg or arm bones
- From a device intended to prevent injuries, such as a seat belt or an airbag
- By a loose object inside the vehicle
- From being thrown from the car and striking the pavement or another object
- From a low-speed crash, which can also cause serious injuries
Long-Term Effects of Broken Bones
Many think of a broken bone as a temporary injury, and for the most part, it is. However, there are long-term effects you could see later on that may affect your life.
One of the more severe effects is decreased strength and mobility. If the bone doesn’t heal properly, you could experience weakness when performing daily tasks such as walking or picking up objects.
Another effect a broken bone could have on your health is a predisposition to other medical conditions, according to an Endocrine Society study. Depending on the location of the broken bone, people could be more likely to develop health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, lung disease, and pneumonia.
If you develop health issues resulting from your broken bone, the negligent party could be responsible for paying for future medical treatments you may need. Our lawyers can recommend doctors that can help you learn about the implications of your broken bone and help you determine the next steps.
The Importance of Medical Treatment for a Broken Bone
Since broken bones are serious injuries that can lead to last complications, you should make it a point to follow through with your doctor’s prescribed treatment plan. This way, you can work toward your maximum medical recovery.
This will also help your case for compensation. With your doctor’s prognosis, your Tampa broken bones car accident attorney can determine what your future accident-related losses will be. For example, you may not be able to earn your pre-injury income, and you may require ongoing rehabilitation.
You will want your potential settlement to reflect this. Our aim is to secure the necessary treatment for your injuries and get you back to normal.
How Florida Laws Could Affect Your Ability to Seek Compensation
Florida is a modified comparative negligence state. You will have to seek compensation for your medical expenses and lost income from a liable party so long as you are not more than 50% responsible for the accident. You can file an insurance claim with their insurance provider.
The law allows people who have suffered serious harm to receive compensation if personal injury protection coverage cannot adequately compensate them for their losses. If your injuries meet the criteria in Florida Statutes § 627.737, you could file a personal injury lawsuit to seek additional compensation.
Statute of Limitations Limits How Long You Have to Recover Compensation
Another important law affecting your ability to recover damages is the statute of limitations. When you get into a crash in Florida, you must file a personal injury lawsuit two years from the crash date to be eligible for compensation, according to Florida Statutes § 95.11(3)(a).
The earlier you file your claim, the more time you’ll have to gather evidence to strengthen your case. Doing this gives you a higher chance of getting fair compensation. But if you miss the deadline, you won’t be able to file a claim or get any compensation.
You’ll be unable to recover money for your pain because, after four years, the liable parties cannot be held responsible. The law exists to keep the courts accessible and also prevent unfair prosecution. A lawyer from our Tampa team can help you get your claim filed in time so that you don’t have to worry about missing out on compensation.
Exceptions to the Statute of Limitations
Usually, the statute of limitations is an end-all deadline, but Florida has a discovery rule. The rule allows you to file your claim when you find out you’ve suffered an injury. While it’s rare to be unaware you’ve broken a bone, it can happen.
If you broke a bone, but it wasn’t obvious until a reasonable amount of time later, you may still be able to file a personal injury claim and be eligible for compensation. When you talk to our lawyers, we can tell you if you qualify under the discovery rule.
Parties You Can Hold Responsible for Your Broken Bone Injuries After a Car Accident
You’ll likely require medical care after you get into an auto collision and suffer broken bones. But it would be best if you didn’t have to pay for it; the liable parties should. The most common parties responsible for injuries in car crashes include:
Another Driver
The most common at-fault party is another motorist on the road. There are many ways fellow drivers on the road can be negligent:
- Reckless driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Failing to use indicators
If another driver was negligent and caused a crash leading to your broken bones, you could hold them accountable for your medical bills and other damages. All drivers on the road have to uphold a duty of care to ensure they don’t harm anyone while driving.
Manufacturers
If the person that hit you had a vehicle malfunction or defect due to the car’s manufacturer’s negligence, you could hold the manufacturer accountable. For example, if a brake defect prevented the driver from stopping and it caused the crash, the company could be responsible for your injuries.
Car manufacturers must go through a thorough process to ensure their products are safe for the public. If they don’t, you have the legal right to seek compensation from them to help you pay for any medical treatment you may need.
Driver’s Employer
If the driver responsible for the auto collision was driving a company car, and it malfunctioned, leading to the crash, or the employee was overworked, you could file a personal injury claim against the company. Employers should always update their vehicles on service and ensure they care for their employees’ well-being.
Multiple parties may be responsible for your injuries; our legal team can help you hold them accountable. We can review your case to see who is liable for your injuries and help you pursue compensation.
Damages You Can Recover After You Suffer Broken Bones in a Tampa Car Crash
When an at-fault driver causes pain and severe injuries, you have a legal right to recover compensation. With the help of one of our Tampa broken bones car accident attorneys, you can recover economic and non-economic damages. The economic losses you can recover include:
- Medical expenses
- Property damage
- Loss of income
- Loss of future earnings
- Physical therapy
- Assistive devices
We are deeply sorry if you’ve lost a loved one in a car collision from a broken bone. We can help you recover the following economic wrongful death damages:
- Funeral expenses
- Unpaid medical bills
- Loss of inheritance
- Household services
Non-Economic Damages in a Tampa Car Crash
The non-economic damages our Tampa broken bones car accident attorneys can help you recover can also help you cover the costs of your injuries. The non-economic damages we can help you collect include the following:
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of companionship
- Physical impairment or disfigurement
- Loss of society
How a Tampa Broken Bones Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You
Our lawyers can help you with the various steps of your broken bones accident. One of the most common things our lawyers help car accident victims with is proving liability and helping you get the compensation you need. When another driver hits you, they should pay for your damages.
But if you also share fault in the accident, the situation can be challenging without a lawyer. Our team of broken bones car accident lawyers can help you navigate this stressful situation. Even if you contributed to the accident, you could still recover compensation.
Your compensation will be reduced by that amount based on the percentage of fault you share. A lawyer from our firm can help determine the amount of compensation you qualify for in a free case consultation.
How Our Tampa Vroken Bones Car Accident Team Handles the Insurance Company
Meeting with the insurance adjuster can be a stressful experience, especially after a motor vehicle accident. But our team of Tampa lawyers can help you face the insurance provider and recover the damages you need.
We know how insurance people are; they don’t want you to get the financial help you need, so they’ll do anything to prevent you from doing so.
Our personal injury attorneys can be there to protect your rights to compensation and make sure you get a favorable settlement. To prove your claim, we’ll demonstrate your pain with evidence such as medical records, accident reports, medical bills, and traffic cam footage.
You should never meet or state the insurance company without a lawyer. If you do, you could lose the right to recover the highest compensation to pay for medical treatment you may need, along with other accident-related expenses.
How a Broken Bone from a Car Crash Settlement Is Determined
You can use your settlement to pay for the expenses you incur from your accident. Many of our clients have asked what the typical car accident settlement is. But because each case is different, we can’t tell you exactly how much your settlement amount is. We can, however, tell you the factors that go into determining a settlement amount:
The Severity of Your Injuries
The biggest factor impacting your settlement is how severe your injuries are. You will likely need extensive medical care if you have severe to catastrophic injuries. And to cover the amount of treatment, you’ll need sufficient money to do so.
We can fight for you to receive a settlement covering your expenses. The more medical attention your injuries need, the higher your settlement.
Number of Liable Parties
Another way to get a higher settlement is by holding multiple parties accountable. If we can prove various parties contributed to your broken bone in the accident, we can hold them all accountable and collect damages.
Collecting damages from every at-fault party will multiply your settlement amount. You’ll have more money to use on your expenses and pay for everyday things like groceries.
If You Shared Fault in the Crash
We mentioned above how you can still get compensation if you were at fault for the accident that caused your injuries. And by receiving a reduced compensation amount, your settlement will be lower.
The more fault you share, the lower the settlement you can expect. By hiring our firm, we can fight to show that you were responsible for the accident only to a certain extent, which can get you a higher settlement if you win your case.
When you meet with ourTampa car accident lawyer, they can examine your case and tell you any additional factors that may affect your settlement. We’re determined to hold the negligent parties accountable for their actions.
Work With a Tampa, FL, Broken Bones Car Accident Lawyer
A broken bone injury can be painful. It may affect your ability to earn a living, care for your family, and participate in activities that you used to enjoy. You may be entitled to compensation for your losses, even if you share some blame for the collision that injured you.
We understand this situation is stressful, but our team of Tampa, FL, broken bones car accident lawyers is here to help you. We want you to focus on getting better while we work for you. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today or fill out the contact form on our website.
We Can Help.
