If you or a loved one suffered chest injuries after a car accident in Baltimore, MD, you may be entitled to compensation. Our Baltimore car accident lawyers at WGK Personal Injury Lawyers are here to stand up for your right to get the fair compensation you need from insurance companies that might try to minimize your award. Call us today at (410) 837-2144.
Chest injuries can be mild–but they can also be serious and life-threatening. At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, we offer a free case evaluation to all accident victims, contact our Baltimore law office. An experienced personal injury lawyer will sit down with you, help you understand your rights, and answer your questions. There’s no obligation to hire us–but if you do, we will fight to get the money you deserve. Remember, your time to file a claim for compensation is limited.
Table of Contents
Why Choose WGK Personal Injury Lawyers to Protect Your Right to Fair Compensation?
Real-life experience counts when choosing a personal injury lawyer. At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, our personal injury attorneys have provided trusted legal guidance for over 40 years. Collectively, we have over 80 years of experience getting fair compensation for Baltimore car accident victims.
Accident victims are almost always confronted with difficult decisions after an accident. These decisions might involve medical treatment, childcare obligations and, of course, how to put food on the table when you’re unable to work.
Our lawyers are here to help. We’re a family-run law firm that understands how important it is for your family to get financial compensation for your injuries. We put in the hard work needed to get money in your hands. Our full-service personal injury team will:
- Conduct a full investigation to find out what caused your crash
- Work with your doctors to learn how your chest injuries will impact your ability to work
- Consult financial specialists and medical experts to put a fair value on the cost of your injuries
- Listen to your story to learn how the injury has changed your life
- Negotiate with insurance companies that might try to trick you into accepting a lowball settlement
- Defend you when the at-fault party tries to shift the blame to you
Our experienced car accident lawyers fight to get the most compensation possible. When someone else’s careless actions caused your crash, they should be held fully accountable. The insurance company doesn’t always see it this way.
Our lawyers know how to stand up to deep-pocketed insurance companies to get the money you need. If you’re interested in learning more, call our Baltimore personal injury attorneys for a free consultation.
Should Car Accident Victims be Worried About Chest Injuries?
In short, yes, car accident victims should always be worried about chest injuries. Chest injuries after a car accident are extremely common–and they can also be fatal if not treated quickly.
In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 80% of serious car accident injuries involve the head or chest.
Thoracic trauma accounts for about 35% of all trauma-related deaths in the U.S. each year. Blunt chest trauma sustained in motor vehicle accidents account for about 80% of these thoracic injuries.
Why Are Chest Injuries so Common After a Car Accident?
We all know how important it is to wear our seatbelts. Seatbelts and airbags provide powerful safety protection in a crash. They can also cause injuries themselves–even while saving lives.
Chest injuries in a car crash might happen because:
- The seat belt or child safety system tightens with the force of an accident
- The chest hits the steering wheel, dashboard or other hard service in the vehicle
- The force of the airbags is extremely strong in a car accident
- A projectile enters the vehicle and punctures the chest
Bruising in the chest area is actually common after an auto accident. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be concerned. Seek medical attention as quickly as possible after an accident–even if you feel relatively okay.
Common Forms of Chest Injuries to Accident Victims
Chest injuries can involve damage to the organs, muscles, bones and skin. Some examples of the types of chest injuries common to car accident victims include:
- Aortic ruptures
- Bilateral lung contusions
- Lung lacerations
- Heart ruptures
- Sternum fractures
- Severe bruising
- Internal bleeding
- Internal organ injuries
- Muscle strains
- Broken ribs
- Bruised ribs
- Ruptured diaphragm
- Puncture injuries
General muscle soreness and bruising could go away with time. Unfortunately, these symptoms could also be signs of a much more serious underlying injury, such as damage to the ribs and sternum or even organ damage. Fractured ribs could even go on to cause more damage to the organs.
Warning Signs of a Chest Injury
It’s important to get medical attention after any car accident to rule out serious injuries. Despite this, chest injuries manifest in very different ways. In some cases, you might not see the signs immediately.
After an accident, it’s always important to look out for the following signs that you have suffered a chest injury:
- Soreness and bruising
- Dull aches in the chest
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain, whether dull or sharp
- Spasms in the chest muscles
- Pain while coughing or laughing
- Flail chest, which happens when the chest wall sucks in when you inhale
If you experience chest pain, it could be a sign of a heart attack or other trauma after an accident. Remember, symptoms of chest trauma and heart attacks can be relatively mild. Having a medical professional check you for injuries after an accident is important to avoid overlooking a severe injury.
What Damages Are Available if You Suffered a Chest Injury?
Personal injury law gives you the right to all reasonable damages caused by the accident. However, even if an insurance company cannot legitimately deny your claim, they’ll likely do everything they can to reduce it.
Our experienced car accident attorneys at WGK Personal Injury Lawyers know how to fight back. We work with respected medical, financial and scientific experts to prove causation and establish the fair value of your claim.
Even if we expect to reach a settlement–and if you would prefer to settle out of court–we prepare as if we were headed to trial. Insurance companies know this. We have a reputation for holding careless and reckless parties fully responsible for their actions where it counts: by getting fair compensation for our clients.
That includes compensation for:
- Medical bills
- Future medical care
- Rehabilitation
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress, PTSD and anxiety
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Damages for wrongful death
- And more
Damages are classified as “economic” or “non-economic”. Economic damages reimburse you for some expense that you have incurred (or will incur) because of the injury. Non-economic damages compensate for the intangible losses caused by the accident–such as pain and suffering or emotional distress.
Under Maryland law, you can recover the full amount of your economic losses. However, non-economic damages are subject to a cap of $875,000 (in 2020–this amount is adjusted every year).
Our lawyers are always ready to back up your claim for compensation with evidence. We’re here to help you get every dollar you deserve, so call us today to get started protecting your legal rights.
Can I Still Get Compensation if I Was Partly to Blame for the Crash?
Insurance companies in Baltimore almost always try to shift the blame to the victim. Unlike most other states, Maryland completely eliminates the victim’s right to compensation if the victim was partly to blame for the crash.
Maryland courts have recently upheld this strict contributory negligence rule. That means the accident victim cannot receive any compensation if they are found to be even 1% to blame for the accident.
If the insurance company tries to blame you, don’t give up. Call an experienced personal injury attorney who can help. Most auto accident victims have never been in a serious crash before. Our lawyers have been regularly helping accident victims get fair compensation for over 40 years. We know how to build a strong case to defend against the insurance company’s claims.
We’ll fight to prove you didn’t cause the accident by:
- Locating video surveillance
- Analyzing the police report
- Interviewing witnesses
- Consulting accident reconstruction experts
- Visiting the accident scene to evaluate things like skid marks, accident debris and general road conditions
You don’t have to lose your right to compensation simply because the insurance company points the finger at you. Call our experienced Baltimore car accident attorneys to fight back today.
How Does the Statute of Limitations Impact My Right to Compensation?
After a car accident, you only have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit. That means you could lose your right to damages if you wait too long to get help.
Talk to a Baltimore Auto Accident Lawyer at WGK Personal Injury Lawyers if You Suffered Chest Injuries After a Car Accident
At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, our Baltimore car accident lawyers have already helped accident victims recover millions in verdicts and settlements. If you suffered chest injuries after a car accident, we are ready to put that experience to work for you.
Your first consultation is always free–and there’s no obligation to move forward with your claim. We’re always here to discuss your options. Call us today to schedule your free consultation.
