Managing Partner
Broken bones are among the most common conditions associated with personal injury cases—and they can be among the most complex, too. The consequences of even a seemingly minor fracture can be wide-ranging, and these conditions can worsen substantially if they’re not addressed correctly. They can even lead to serious compensation under the right conditions. Here’s what you need to know if you’re dealing with a painful fracture that someone else caused.
The Impact of a Broken Bone
Even a simple fracture with no further complications can result in:
- Lengthy recovery times, as the fracture may take weeks or months to heal, followed by physical therapy to regain mobility fully
- Lost wages caused by taking time off work during your recovery, particularly if you have a physically demanding job
- Emotional distress caused by your recovery, especially if you feel that you’re not making as much progress as you should
- Physical pain caused by the injury that can diminish your quality of life while recovering
- Long-term impacts, including chronic pain, arthritis, or a permanent reduction in mobility
For example, if you work in a physically demanding job, such as a construction or warehouse worker, a broken wrist or ankle that might not seem serious could prevent you from working throughout your recovery and may leave you with permanent damage that impacts your future ability to work.
Calculating Damages After a Broken Bone
If someone else is responsible for your broken bone, you can pursue a lawsuit against them to seek compensation for both economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages refer to the compensation you can seek for your losses that have a set dollars-and-cents value. This includes your past and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, and disability accommodations. Even a simple fracture can lead to significant financial losses for which you deserve adequate compensation.
Non-economic damages refer to the compensation you can seek for your losses with no specific value attached to them. This includes the physical pain and suffering you experienced, the emotional distress you continue to experience, and the impact your injury has on your quality of life. Since they can’t simply add up bills and lost income to calculate your non-economic damages as they can with economic damages, lawyers and insurance companies engaged in settlement discussions have to use other methods to quantify these losses. The most common of these methods is the multiplier method, which multiplies your economic damages by a number between 1.5 and 5, with a higher number reflecting more severe pain and suffering, to arrive at a final, all-in settlement figure.
Note that the outcome of cases that do not settle out of court will be determined by a judge or jury. These entities have considerable leeway to assign pain and suffering a value they think is fair based on the facts presented at trial.
No Cap on Non-Economic Damages in Georgia
Unlike some states, Georgia doesn’t have a cap on the non-economic damages you can recover through a lawsuit. This lack of a cap, combined with the multiplier method for calculating these damages, can mean your simple broken bone case could result in significant compensation if your medical bills and lost wages add up to a decent sum.
Contact Our Broken Bone Injury Lawyer
To maximize your compensation, it’s essential that you work with a skilled personal injury attorney who can accurately calculate your economic damages and estimate your non-economic damages.
If you suffered a broken bone injury in an accident in Georgia, contact Joshua E. Palmer Law Firm for a free consultation about your case. We’ll review the accident that caused your injury, explain your options for seeking the compensation you need, and answer your questions about the legal process. Our firm knows how to win big for injured clients, and we’re prepared to put our experience to work for you.
