Broken bones are relatively common car crash injuries. People can break ribs, collarbones, arms, legs or even vertebrae in their spines during a car crash. Many people are grateful when a broken bone is the only major injury they have following a crash.
After all, modern medicine has incredible capabilities when it comes to treating traumatic injuries in particular. People might assume that car insurance can help them pay for all of the financial losses generated by a broken bone. However, they need to look carefully at their long-term costs before settling an insurance claim or dismissing the possibility of a lawsuit. There are many costs, including the three below, that may follow a fracture from a car wreck.
Medical treatment costs
The cost of obtaining an x-ray and set a bone might only be a few thousand dollars. However, more serious fractures may require surgical intervention. Even basic fractures often results in a loss of strength and range of motion. People may require weeks of physical therapy to regain functional abilities lost during their recovery. The total medical costs of a broken bone can easily add up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Lost wages and earning potential
The more physically demanding someone’s career is, the more likely they are to require a leave of absence after a broken bone. People may factor in those weeks of lost wages when making a claim. What they may not consider is how extended absences tend to result in career setbacks. Even when there is a clear medical explanation for why a worker missed a large amount of work, they may have an uphill battle when they seek promotions and other advancement opportunities in the future. Missing work tends to have a chilling effect on someone’s career.
Lost function affecting the household
There may be numerous secondary household expenses people have to absorb after a broken bone. Costs related to transportation, cooking, cleaning, yard care and child care can be very expensive when people have to hire professionals for those services. The longer it takes someone to recover from an injury, the more secondary expenses they may have incurred because they could not perform the support services they usually provide for their family. Those costs can strain the family budget. Absorbing the work can be stressful for the entire household.
Learning more about the immediate consequences of a fracture from a car wreck can help people determine how much compensation they should request. Lawsuits are sometimes necessary when crash victims are looking at extensive medical losses, functional limitations and career setbacks caused by medical challenges.
