Breaking Your Leg Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank

ThomasEdwards
September 26, 2012

In many cases, breaking your leg will cost you a great deal of money, especially if you are uninsured. Not only will you have to pay for the treatment, but you will also be responsible for lost wages until you can get back to work. There are situations, however, where others can be held responsible for your injuries, which means that you can have your treatment paid for, while receiving money to make up for your lost wages. In the case of medical negligence, which means that the injury was worsened by the actions of a doctor, you can receive an even larger claim, depending on the circumstances.

When to File a Claim

The most important thing to remember with a medical negligence or any other type of claim is that you must prove that someone else was at fault. For example, if you are walking down the street and a piece of a building falls and hits you in the leg, breaking it, the building owner should be responsible for your injuries. In this case, you should head into the building to file an accident report and then possible contact a lawyer to take the next step. Taking pictures of where the piece of building fell from and where it landed will also help the case. The injured party might be in too much pain to do this right away, but it should be done as soon as possible by a loved one.

In cases where you fall because of loosen pavement, you can file a claim against the city or whoever is in charge of maintaining the pavement. This is because these individuals have a duty to everyone who uses this pavement to keep it safe. If there are signs up that warn about loose pavement, the claim becomes much more difficult. As a rule, anyone who breaks his or her leg by falling on some loose pavement should consider the warning signs and determine if they were enough to keep him or her safe. Pictures can help make an argument in this situation.

What the Claim Means

Once a claim is filed, be it medical negligence or otherwise, the injured party might be able to recoup the cost of medical expenses, loss of income, and legal expenses, in addition to receiving a settlement for pain and suffering. The owner of the building or pavement will likely have insurance to cover these situations, so the settlement will come from this insurance company. Keep in mind that the insurance company will fight hard to avoid paying this money, since it wants to maximize its profits as well.

How to File a Claim

Filing a claim is as simple as calling an attorney that specialises in this type of litigation. These individuals know the ins and outs of medical litigation and can come to a settlement very quickly. Although it is possible to handle this on your own, it gets very difficult when dealing with an insurance company’s high priced lawyers. Your lawyer will ask for the evidence that you have collected, which is why it is vital that you do so. The insurance company’s lawyers will have a field day with this case if you do not provide sufficient evidence that the injury was not your fault.

Medical Negligence

If you go to the hospital with a broken leg and the injury is worsened because of a mistake made by the doctor, you can file an additional medical negligence claim. Once you pay for this service, the doctor has a responsibly to handle your case properly and is responsible for damages if he or she does not.

Protect Yourself

As you can see, there are ways to get around the costs of a broken leg, especially if it was not your fault. Because of this, a broken leg does not have to break the bank at all.