Immediately after the car crash, you start to take stock of your surroundings. You notice a pain in your leg, which quickly flares to an intolerable level when you try to exit the vehicle. You realize that you’ve probably suffered at least a broken bone.
Still, given how fast the other driver was going when they hit you, that broken bone might seem trivial compared to the injuries you could have suffered. Being grateful for good fortune and looking for the positive in a difficult situation can certainly help you during the recovery process.
However, underestimating the impact that a broken bone from a car crash could have on you professionally and financially could put you in a position where you make a big mistake.
Setting the bone will only be part of the cost
Whether you broke a leg, a bone in your arm or your collarbone, one of the first steps will involve diagnostic testing like X-rays and then setting the bone. For those with clean and simple fractures, setting a bone can be an outpatient procedure.
For those with multiple breaks, jagged edges to the ends of the broken bone or other complicating factors, surgery and even implanted support mechanisms like steel rods may become necessary for the bone to heal. The medical bills that you have when you leave the hospital with your broken limb in a cast will likely be significant, but they will probably not be the last expenses that you incur.
You will have to deal with ongoing care and possibly lost wages
Depending on your health, the kind of fracture you suffer, your age and other factors, it could be weeks or months before your broken bone hopefully heals. During that time, you will probably need to have multiple exams to ensure that the bone heals properly.
You may also need physical therapy or occupational therapy to help you adjust to the restrictions your injury will create for your movements. If the injury prevents you from performing tasks that are part of your job, your employer may not be able to give you alternate tasks depending on your career path. That could mean that you miss quite a bit of work.
Continuing medical care and lost wages could drastically increase the total financial impact of a broken bone after a car crash. Before you accept a settlement or close your claim, it will be important for you to look at the big picture impact of your injury on your life and finances.