Broken bones or fractures are a common traumatic injury that people can suffer in a serious motor vehicle collision. Everything from the kind of restraints used to the type of collision will influence the kind of injuries someone suffers, including the location and severity of broken bones.
Broken bones may seem like an easily treatable problem when compared with more permanent and severe injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries. However, broken bones can still be expensive, painful and difficult to recover from for a victim. In other words, the impact of a broken bone from a car crash can be more than you might initially expect.
Broken bones can cost thousands of dollars to treat
The location and severity of the fracture, as well as any other medical issues someone experiences after a crash, will impact how much it costs to treat the fracture and recover from it. According to data collected by the federal government, a broken leg can cost as much as $7,500 to fully heal from.
More complicated fractures, such as compound fractures or spiral fractures, may cost even more to treat because they require surgery and even ongoing physical therapy. Additionally, those who suffer a broken bone will likely have to go several weeks if not several months without working during their recovery.
Make sure you know the impact of an injury before agreeing to a settlement
If you’ve been out of work for a month and a half because of a broken arm and the insurance company for the driver who caused the crash reaches out to you to offer a few thousand dollars, your first instincts may be to accept the settlement and catch up on your bills.
However, insurance companies count on that eagerness and need for financial assistance when they make inappropriately low offers to victims with serious injuries. You need to think about not just your current expenses but also your future medical costs and lost wages. If the insurance company is offering you an inappropriate amount, you may need to counter their settlement offer or even possibly take the issue to court to get enough compensation to cover your losses.