Numerous types of accidents can cause a crushing injury. You can sustain a crushing injury in a fall or car accident. Falling objects or a workplace accident can also cause a crushing injury.
Crushing injuries often cause severe damage to internal organs and the crushed area of the body. Because of the massive damage, a person can lose bodily functions and experience systemic organ failure. The consequences of a crushing injury can be devastating.
The party responsible for the crushing injury can be liable for damages. Our San Diego crushing injury lawyers help you understand the process of pursuing a claim for compensation.
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What Are the Effects of a Crushing Injury?
A crushing force can cause your body’s structure to collapse. The musculoskeletal system includes:
- Bones
- Tendons
- Cartilage
- Ligaments
- Muscles
- Fascia
- Joints
During a crushing injury, bones can fracture and break. Likewise, muscle, tendons, and other soft tissue can rip, tear, and shred.
The crushing injury can destroy or sever nerves that carry sensory signals and motor functions. The injury can tear and puncture blood vessels.
In the short term, a crushing injury can burst blood vessels, causing internal bleeding. Crushing injuries can tear the skin, damage internal organs, and disrupt oxygen flow. Nerve damage can result in partial or complete paralysis.
Shattered, fractured, and broken bones can be difficult to repair. Surgeons might need to use plates, screws, and pins to rebuild the shattered bone. Pieces of the bone can dislodge and tear vital organs and soft tissues.
Crushing injuries can also cause suffocation. The compression of the chest prevents the lungs from expanding. Brain cells begin to die within a minute after being deprived of oxygen, with permanent brain damage after just three to four minutes.
The long-term effects of a crushing injury include:
Crush Syndrome
Some victims develop crush syndrome after a crushing injury. Crush syndrome can cause illnesses and death weeks or months after the initial injury.
The tissue destroyed during the injury releases toxins into the bloodstream. Dead cells also enter the bloodstream.
The kidneys try to filter the dead cells and toxins, but can be overwhelmed. In some cases, the kidneys begin to fail.
Nerve Damage
The crushing injury can cause permanent nerve damage. Nerve damage can cause pain, loss of dexterity, loss of sensation, tingling, and numbness. Symptoms could result in permanent impairments.
Blood Clots
Blood clots may form after a crushing injury as the blood coagulates to protect damaged tissue and stop bleeding. However, if a piece of the blood clot breaks off, it can travel to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke. The blood clots can also become lodged in blood vessels, blocking oxygen and blood supply to major organs.
Compartment Syndrome
Inflammation is common after a crushing injury. The damaged tissue becomes inflamed as part of the body’s immune response. Compartment syndrome can sometimes cut off the blood supply, causing damage to the impacted areas.
Amputation
The crushing injury could cause severe tissue damage that cannot be repaired. If there is too much damage, the doctors might have no alternative but to amputate. Amputation could save a person’s life, but it results in disfigurement and impairment.
Infections
Lacerations, abrasions, and puncture wounds caused by crushing injuries can result in infections. Bacteria enter the body through the open wound. Doctors treat the infection with antibiotics, but some infections spread quickly through the body, causing sepsis or septic shock.
What Compensation Can I Receive for a Crushing Injury in San Diego, CA?
The damages caused by a crushing injury depend on the severity of the injury. Victims can generally receive reimbursement for their financial losses. Economic damages included in a personal injury case include, but are not limited to:
- Reimbursement for the cost of medical treatment and care
- Loss of wages, benefits, overtime pay, salaries, self-employment income, and other sources of income
- Reimbursement for the cost of personal care and assistance with household tasks
- Out-of-pocket expenses, including medications and travel to and from medical appointments
- The decrease in future earning capacity because of permanent impairments
A victim of a crushing injury also experiences incredible pain and suffering. These damages are non-economic damages and include the following:
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Physical pain
- Mental anguish
- A decrease in quality of life
- Disabilities and impairments
In some cases, a jury could award the victim punitive damages. However, punitive damages are not compensatory. They do not compensate the victim for losses.
Instead, the jury awards punitive damages because the defendant’s conduct met specific guidelines. Punitive damages “punish” defendants and deter other people from engaging in the same behavior.
How Much Is My Crushing Injury Claim Worth?
The factors of your case determine how much your claim is worth. Factors that can increase the value of your damages include:
- Sustaining severe injuries
- Lengthy recovery period
- Invasive and extensive medical treatment
- Sustaining a permanent impairment or disability
- High medical costs
- Disfigurement and scarring
Other factors could decrease how much money you receive for your claim. For example, if you do not follow your doctor’s treatment plan, the insurance company might argue that you failed to mitigate damages. Therefore, you should not receive compensation for damages that could have been avoided had you followed the treatment plan.
If you were partially to blame for causing your injury, California’s contributory fault laws could reduce the amount of money you receive for your claim. Your compensation is reduced by the percentage of fault you have for causing the accident.
Our legal team defends you against allegations that could decrease the amount you receive for an injury claim. Our goal is to recover the maximum amount of compensation available for your claim so you can continue moving forward after a tragic accident or injury.
What Are the Deadlines for Filing Claims for Crushing Injuries?
The statute of limitations for most personal injury cases in California is two years from the date of injury. Therefore, you must file your lawsuit before the deadline or lose your right to seek compensation for your damages through the legal system.
Exceptions to the rule can increase or decrease the deadline for filing crushing injury claims. Seeking legal advice as soon as possible after an injury is the best way to protect your right to fair compensation.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation With a San Diego Personal Injury Lawyer
A crushing injury can be life-altering. Mission Personal Injury Lawyers are on your side. We fight to get you the money you deserve.
Call our law firm to schedule a free consultation with one of our San Diego personal injury attorneys to discuss your case at (619) 777-5555.
