Rib fractures can be very debilitating and especially painful in the moment of the accident. While this injury takes a physical and mental toll on you, this sudden accident can also take a toll on your finances. In any case, you can recover the costs for your damages with an insurance claim if someone else caused your injury. If you or a loved one has fractured one or more ribs from an accident, contact Mike Agruss Law for a free consultation so we can help you recover from this experience and get fairly compensated.
A rib fracture occurs when one of the rib bones (or even the cartilage connecting the ribs) cracks or breaks. Rib fractures are usually the result of a high-energy trauma to the abdomen or midsection which causes the bones to break, which could be a sports injury or a motor vehicle collision. Rib bones are fairly strong since they protect some of your most vital organs, such as your lungs and heart, so it would take considerable force for these to break. Common symptoms include pain when breathing, coughing, or laughing, pain when you touch the area, suddenly moving your abdomen, bruising, and redness. However, the severity and location of the fracture will determine the amount of pain that you may feel.
Of course, you should seek immediate medical help after any type of accident so that you can treat the injury quickly and avoid complications. In order for your doctor to diagnose you, he will conduct a physical examination and various imaging tests such as a chest X-ray to see the bones or a potentially collapsed lung, a CT scan to show other fractures or damage to tissue or organs or an MRI for the same reason. Your doctor will interpret the images and diagnose you with a certain type of rib fracture.
The most common type of serious injury to the ribs is a flail chest injury. Flail chest is when three or more contiguous ribs are fractured in two or more places. This is a serious injury that can result in a number of very serious complications to the lungs that can lead to difficulty breathing. The most commonly fractured ribs are the 7th through the 10th ribs, which are in the lower half.
Certain types of rib fractures can be particularly serious since they pose a risk to the surrounding organs. If a broken rib punctured the lung, they would suffer from a pneumothorax and risk very serious consequences or death. Or, the lung tissue could get bruised and result in a pulmonary contusion. Any injury to the lungs can be very serious and possibly life-threatening, so it is important that you seek treatment right away. Other organs that could be damaged or lacerated include the spleen, liver, kidneys, or surrounding blood vessels.
Rib fracture treatment varies wildly depending on the severity of the fracture and its location. Generally, doctors advise many patients to rest, ice the affected area and take deep breaths to avoid pneumonia. Pneumonia can be a severe complication of rib fractures since patients may find it painful to breathe deeply or cough. This can cause lung infections such as pneumonia. Some doctors may prescribe pain killers, suggest physical therapy exercises, or in severe cases, you may require surgery to repair damaged organs, remove blood or air from the chest, or reassemble the bones back into their original spots. Most rib fractures, when paired with the prescribed treatment instructions, can heal in about six weeks. Some minor fractures can heal on their own at this time, while others may need assistance via surgery or other measures.
If another person caused your injuries, you can file a claim against them for monetary damages. Medical care for a bone fracture is not cheap, and it certainly is not cheap when it involves surgery or potential complications that you may have had to deal with. With our help, we can help you recover the costs of your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages that resulted from another person’s actions.
Helping our clients is about counseling, advocating, and ultimately solving problems. With years of experience successfully representing the people, not the powerful, we will take care of the insurance adjusters, your medical bills, your property damage, and your lost wages, and monitor your treatment so you can focus on healing and getting your life back to normal. Our unique formula has earned us over 1,000 outstanding client reviews on our website, an A+ BBB rating, and over 135 five-star reviews on Google. Call 888-572-0176, e-mail us at [email protected] or schedule a meeting with us here. We’re here 24/7.
