After a car accident, among the most common injuries are broken legs. Whether minor or severe, a broken leg injury puts a person out of work while incurring medical expenses for treatment and recovery.
You may feel frustrated at your situation and anxious about your new financial burdens. It’s important to remember you have options. Learn more about an average settlement for a broken leg and how an attorney can help you.
Is There an Average Personal Injury Settlement For a Broken Leg?
Accident victims are always curious about what they can receive for their losses. After you have endured the trauma of an accident and are left with a severe injury, it’s understandable that you want answers quickly.
Unfortunately, if you’re hoping to get information about an average settlement for broken leg with surgery, the answer is there is no average settlement value.
Each case has unique facts and circumstances leading up to the accident, meaning that there’s no readily available average settlement amount. But an attorney can analyze the facts and circumstances surrounding your case to estimate the value of your case. This value drives negotiations to help you obtain a just settlement value.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
Car accidents happen in the blink of an eye and when you least expect it. Despite their uncertainty, there are common causes of car accidents to look out for when driving:
- Speeding,
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol,
- Distracted driving,
- Failing to yield while turning left,
- Failure to drive in a single lane,
- Failure to yield at a stop sign,
- Disregarding traffic signs and signals,
- Unsafe lane changes,
- Following too closely.
If you were involved in an accident, your attorney investigates whether the other driver engaged in any of the above behaviors to hold them accountable for your injuries and losses.
Factors Impacting a Broken Leg Settlement
Multiple factors impact the value of a broken leg personal injury settlement. Most of these play a role in every personal injury case. However, the degree to which they impact a potential payout varies from case to case.
The Severity of the Injury
Accidents resulting in more severe injuries usually garner larger settlements. Someone with a minor abrasion in an accident would receive considerably less than someone with a broken leg.
A broken leg is generally considered a serious injury after an accident and can raise the value of your case. Your attorney uses the severity of your injuries to negotiate with insurance companies and opposing counsel for a more favorable settlement.
Disruption
The greater your injuries disrupt your life, the larger your personal injury settlement. For example, a broken leg will put you out of work for a considerable period, especially for those who work in jobs with a physical element.
An inability to work means lost wages and potentially the loss of your job. And your broken leg may never heal completely, making it impossible to work in the same position after recovering.
An injury may also make it more challenging to enjoy the same everyday activities you enjoyed before, such as walking, running, or being active with your family. These disruptions all impact a potential settlement.
Recovery Prognosis
The duration of your recovery impacts the value of your settlement. Longer recoveries often require substantial medical treatments, appointments, prescriptions, and physical therapy. In some situations, victims never fully recover from their injuries but must instead accept this new way of life.
Liability
A clear determination of liability also influences the value of your potential settlement. In cases where one party is determined to be mostly at fault, settlements are usually higher.
Determining liability also gives your attorney the upper hand in driving settlement discussions. The responsible party may be more motivated to settle their case when they realize that refusing to settle may result in a loss at an expensive trial.
Level of Emotional and Psychological Trauma
Intangible losses, like the pain and suffering associated with your accident, are often the most significant losses injured victims suffer. Many injured victims may find engaging in the same activities they loved before their injury difficult.
An accident may result in a permanent injury that forever changes a person’s way of life. While assigning a number to these losses is challenging, your attorney works to negotiate their value and obtain a just settlement on your behalf.
Insurance
How much an injured victim receives in a settlement largely depends on the insurance coverage policy the liable party holds. Insurance coverage is the most common source of financial recovery.
When a liable party’s insurance policy fails to compensate you for your losses adequately, your attorney may advise you to file a personal injury lawsuit against the responsible party as an individual.
What Is Included in an Average Insurance Settlement for a Broken Leg?
Your attorney calculates the actual value of your case by analyzing your recoverable damages. Texas law permits an injured victim to recover damages through economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages represent financial losses directly related to your injuries and include the following examples:
- Medical expenses,
- Lost wages,
- Loss of future earnings,
- Property damage.
Your attorney reviews documentary evidence of your economic damages to demand in negotiations. Retain all records of your expenses to support your claim.
Non-economic damages represent subjective losses from the psychological and emotional harm resulting from your injuries. Though invisible, non-economic damages cause substantial disruption to victims’ lives and include the following losses:
- Emotional distress,
- Pain and suffering,
- Loss of enjoyment of life,
- Loss of consortium.
With an attorney, proving non-economic damages is easier. However, you should never underestimate the importance of recovering financial compensation for these losses.
Contact Us
At Armstrong Lee and Baker, our firm and clients’ relationship represents a sacred trust. We never view our clients as just a number or another case. We are mindful that each of our clients has been wronged, injured, and lost loved ones.
Our attorneys draw on solid and diverse experience and are well-equipped to handle all kinds of personal injury cases. We are serious about obtaining justice on behalf of our clients and have dedicated our careers to fighting for our clients’ rights.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, please do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation. We carefully evaluate every case that comes through our door. Each of our consultations is free, and we never take a fee in your case unless we obtain a judgment or settlement for you.
Scott Armstrong obtains remarkable results for his clients. He has successfully tried numerous cases to favorable verdicts and reached significant settlements on his clients’ behalf. In the process, he has recovered millions for his clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely nothing. At Armstrong Lee & Baker LLP, our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means that you owe us nothing unless we win your case, whether that’s in the form of a settlement or a judgment. We offer a free consultation to anyone who thinks they might have a personal injury case.
We suggest speaking with an attorney as soon as possible after your injury. Something to keep in mind is that all personal injury cases need evidence, and that evidence often degrades over time. As a result, many jurisdictions have a strict statute of limitations (or time limit) for filing a claim. In Texas, most victims have only two years from the date of injury to file, so it is important to start building your case immediately.
In the state of Texas, employers have the option of filing for workers’ compensation insurance. This policy covers them in case an employee suffers an injury on the job. However, some employers choose to be non-subscribers, which means they opt out of this coverage and lose certain legal protections. This means that if an injured employee sues them after a work injury, they may end up paying more damages. In addition, they may be liable for pain and suffering, punitive damages, and medical benefits. Learn more about non-subscriber injuries here.
The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) keeps track of employers that report their non-subscriber status. Currently, you can find a spreadsheet of every reported non-subscriber business in Texas under TDI’s workers’ compensation insurance coverage verification page. This includes the business address, business name, and filing dates. Learn more here.
There are a few different ways to manage your bills while waiting for your case to settle. For medical treatment, it is common to arrange a lien with the doctor’s office or hospital. A medical lien is essentially an agreement to pay back your treatment costs with a portion of your potential settlement. Another option for miscellaneous bills, such as rent, utilities, or other essential expenses, is lawsuit funding. Much like a lien, you pay these loans back with a portion of your settlement or judgment. However, these loans have high interest rates and fees, so be sure to discuss this option with your attorney.