Broken bones occur frequently during motor vehicle accidents. While some broken bones can be mild fractures, others require extensive treatment, healing time and rehabilitation. If you have suffered broken bones in a Maine car accident that was somebody else’s fault, you may have the right to receive financial compensation for your injuries. A Maine personal injury lawyer can help you recover lost wages, and receive monetary compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering. Each personal injury case is different, and it’s important to consult with an attorney when you have been injured.
Maine Attorneys Talk About Broken Bones
Depending on which bone you broke, and the complexity of the fracture, it’s not always possible to know that you broke a bone right away. When your adrenaline is rushing after a car accident, it can be difficult to feel pain. Some people get into a car accident and are able to run with a broken ankle or leg, a sure sign that adrenaline has taken over and the experience of pain from the break has been delayed. If you have been in a car accident, you should prepare to look for symptoms of injury that include:
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- Pain or stiffness around a joint – If the pain is not lessened by anti-inflammatory medications, or you can’t move your joint without pain, you might have a broken bone.
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- Numbness or tingling – If you have numbness or tingling in one of your extremities, you may have broken a bone. Your bone itself won’t hurt, but the area surrounding the broken bone will be painful and swollen.
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- Inability to move a joint or body part – If you are unable to move an affected body part, you may have suffered some type of broken bone.
In Maine, there are many broken bones caused by car accidents each year. As lawyers that focus on personal injury law in Maine, we see victims of car accidents all of the time. If you have suffered a broken bone or two from a car accident, and you are having trouble getting through your daily life, you need to seek quality medical care to recover from your injuries.
Seeking Legal Help for Broken Bones Due to a Car Accident
As a car accident victim who has suffered broken bones, you should consider meeting with a personal injury lawyer to discuss the accident. Your lawyer will be able to help determine who is at fault for your case, and they will be able to help you file a claim if necessary. When you meet with an attorney for your initial consultation, you will discuss:
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- The person who is responsible for the accident: Liability can be evaluated initially by taking a good look at accident reports, witness statements, and from your account of the accident. You should be prepared to bring all documentation that you have regarding the accident to meet with your attorney. Sometimes further investigation is necessary to determine liability.
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- The Losses You Suffered: If you have medical bills, prescription costs and lost wages because of the accident, bring these records to your initial consultation so that your attorney can begin evaluating what your potential losses might be.
Why Hiring a Local Personal Injury Lawyer is Important
Like most states, Maine has a specific set of laws and guidelines when it comes to personal injury lawsuits. If you are the victim of a car accident in Maine, you must be able to prove that the at fault driver was the cause of your injuries. Maine is an at fault state, and if you were found partially at fault for the accident, your compensation may be decreased as a result of your partial fault. Statutes of limitation regarding personal injury lawsuits vary state by state. In Maine, there are different statutes of limitations that apply to car accidents, depending on the circumstances of the accident. It’s important to work with a local attorney when it comes to a personal injury lawsuit in Maine.