A lot of things impact the value of a broken leg case. The severity of the break, the amount of lost wages, the cost of medical care, your pain and suffering, and the effectiveness of your legal counsel all play a role in determining the amount of a potential settlement.
The Severity of the Break
Broken bones can be unpredictable in terms of recovery time and the completeness of recovery. According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), a minor fracture takes about six to eight weeks to heal, and a severe fracture can take as long as six months or more to fully heal. The NHS also points out that broken bones may not be fully healed even when the pain has subsided, and rushing the recovery can cause further injury. You may have a case, and that’s a good thing! At least your family doesn’t need the skills of a reputable wrongful death attorney!
The above recovery timeline does not take into account the complications that can arise from a broken bone. Some common complications include:
- Damaged nerves, muscles or blood vessels: Damaged nerves muscles or blood vessels sometimes occur along with the break, and this may lead to loss of feeling or movement and adversely affect the limb’s blood supply.
- Bone infection: Bone infections usually occur when a break requires surgery or if the break caused the bone to protrude from the skin. Bone infections significantly delay healing and sometimes require additional surgery.
- Compartment syndrome: Compartment syndrome is caused by bleeding or swelling within the muscles; it’s extremely painful and generally requires emergency surgery to relieve the pressure in the affected limb.
Lost Wages
Most people who suffer a broken leg will be unable to work until they’re fully healed. If everything goes well, they may only need to be compensated for the wages they would have made if they hadn’t been injured. If a broken leg causes someone to miss six months of work, however, lost wages can be more difficult to calculate. In that amount of time, it’s likely that you would have gotten a raise or even have been promoted. Courts must take that into consideration when determining lost income.
Dependents under the injured person’s care might also affect the settlement amount because, in a way, there is more than one injured person.
Cost of Medical Care
The cost of medical care will significantly impact the amount of your settlement. A broken leg can cost up to $7,500, and the average cost of a three-day hospital stay is close to $30,000. Suffice it to say, the cost of medical care for broken bones can be substantial. Aside from initial medical costs, there will usually be costs associated with rehabilitation. Physical therapy is the most obvious example, but massage therapy, crutches, and wheelchairs could all be factors.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering is probably the most subjective aspect of settlement amounts. After all, everyone has different pain tolerances and psychological flexibility. What might be annoying for one person could be emotionally devastating for another.
Generally speaking, though, pain and suffering is determined by multiplying the cost of medical care by an integer between one and five. The greater the pain and suffering, the higher the multiplier. Pain and suffering is likely to be much higher if the break causes permanent disability or diminished motor function.
Effectiveness of Legal Counsel
Insurance companies thrive on paying out as little as they possibly can, which is why it’s important to have an attorney who won’t settle with them too quickly. A broken bones lawyer can help the victim obtain compensation, which can help with the medical bills and rehabilitation costs.
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