Broken Bones Are “Serious Enough” To Sue For
Whether in a car crash, a slip-and-fall, or another type of accident, broken bones are one of the most commonly sustained injuries. However, many who have been injured due to another person’s negligence tend not to seek compensation; they tend to believe that since broken bones are so common, they are not a significant enough injury to file suit against someone over. In reality, a broken bone can lead to months of rehabilitation, and in extreme cases, a person may need to relearn how to walk. If you have sustained broken bones in an accident, you have the right to file suit against the person who allegedly caused them.
Several Different Types
There are several different types of bone fractures, any of which may happen depending on the specific nature of the accident you experience. Some are also more likely to occur in certain age groups – for example, very young children have bones that are less brittle and more resilient, so breaks in their bones tend to be smaller and heal more quickly, while the elderly have more brittle bones that tend to fracture in more places at once. The type of fracture does not necessarily matter in the legal sense, but it can affect the type of treatment necessary and the amount of medical bills that may be run up.
A bone fracture may be open or closed (showing through skin or not), and displaced or non-displaced (broken in more than one place and moving around, or remaining in place). Medical professionals may also qualify the type of fracture with further detail – for example, a ‘comminuted’ fracture is when a bone shatters into multiple small pieces, while a ‘compression’ fracture is when a bone becomes flattened or otherwise crushed.
Filing Suit (Or Filing A Claim)
If you have experienced broken bones due to an accident, and the accident was due to the negligent behavior of another person, you have the right to seek compensation from that person. Florida law holds that if you can establish certain criteria – namely, that the defendant owed you a duty to exercise reasonable care, and that the duty was breached, which resulted in your injuries. Motorists owe a duty to other motorists, for example, and if their actions breach that duty of reasonable care, they can fairly easily be held liable.
One thing to keep in mind is that if your injuries were sustained in an auto accident, you may have to pursue a different path toward getting your medical bills covered. Florida’s auto insurance system is ‘no-fault,’ which means that instead of filing suit in most auto accident cases, an injured person is expected to file a claim under the personal injury protection (PIP) insurance they are expected to carry. State law requires all drivers to carry at least $10,000 in PIP coverage, even though many drivers simply go without.
Contact A Tampa Fractures Attorney
Breaking a bone can sometimes be an inconvenience, but sometimes it can lead to fundamental changes in a person’s life, especially if the break is handled poorly. A Tampa fractures attorney from the Rinaldo Law Group can offer knowledgeable and compassionate representation at a time when you may not know where to turn. Contact our offices today for a free consultation.
