Medical Treatment Issues in Pedestrian Accident Cases
Pedestrian crash injuries are usually much worse than car crash injuries, which is saying quite a lot. Steel structures and advanced safety devices protect vehicle occupants during crashes. Pedestrians, on the other hand, are completely exposed to danger.
These high treatment costs have increased significantly in the last decade. After they leveled off during the Great Recession of 2008, medical bill inflation has steadily gone up every year at a faster rate than overall inflation, which once again, is saying quite a lot.
Because pedestrian accidents cause such serious injuries, these victims usually don’t talk to the emergency responders who prepare police reports. Since these official reports are often slanted against victims, only the best Leesburg personal injury lawyer can build a strong case and obtain maximum compensation for your serious injuries.
Pedestrian Crash Injuries
Partially because of the aforementioned vulnerability, pedestrian crash injuries are normally much worse than vehicle collision injuries. Location matters as well. Most pedestrian accidents occur outside marked crosswalks and at non-intersections. Therefore, the tortfeasor (negligent driver) is often driving at or near top speed at the moment of impact. Common pedestrian crash injuries include:
- Head Injuries: The force of an impact usually propels a victim through the air. When victims land, their brains slam against the insides of their skulls, causing extensive bleeding and swelling.
- Broken Bones: The extreme force of a pedestrian crash usually shatters bones. Since doctors must use metal parts to surgically reconstruct them, physical therapy is longer, more difficult, and more expensive.
- Internal Injuries: Continuing a familiar theme, the force of a pedestrian wreck causes internal organs to bump and grind against each other. The resulting abrasions, however slight, usually bleed profusely.
The resulting medical bills are very expensive, especially since Virginia has one of the highest per-day hospital costs in the nation.
Medical Treatment
These injuries are difficult to diagnose and treat, driving up the cost of medical care. Head injuries are a good example.
Initial head injury symptoms, such as disorientation and confusion, mimic accident shock, a temporary condition that goes away by itself. Furthermore, since the brain conceals its own injuries, many pedestrian accident victims tell emergency responders and doctors that they “feel fine.”
Head injuries are degenerative. Any treatment delay increases the severity of these injuries. In many cases, a basic concussion could become a much more serious traumatic brain injury.
Head injury and other catastrophic injury physical therapy is very difficult, mostly because progress often comes in fits and starts. A Leesburg personal injury lawyer must continually advocate for victims during physical therapy. Otherwise, the insurance company will cite an apparent lack of progress as a reason to pull the financial plug.
Medical bills are usually the largest component of economic damages in a pedestrian accident case. Therefore, meaningful settlement negotiations cannot begin until medical treatment is at least substantially complete.
Reach Out to a Detail-Oriented Loudoun County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Leesburg, contact Simms Showers, LLP, Attorneys at Law. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.
Source:
bls.gov/cpi/factsheets/medical-care.htm
This memorandum is provided for general information purposes only and is not a substitute for legal advice particular to your situation. No recipients of this memo should act or refrain from acting solely on the basis of this memorandum without seeking professional legal counsel. Simms Showers LLP expressly disclaims all liability relating to actions taken or not taken based solely on the content of this memorandum.
