Average Broken Sternum Car Accident Settlement in California
In California, the average broken sternum car accident settlement ranges from $3,000 to $450,000, though the amount depends on several critical factors that significantly impact your final compensation. Every sternum fracture case involves unique circumstances that affect the settlement value, making it essential to understand what influences your potential payout.
The factors that determine your broken sternum settlement include:
- Severity of fracture
- Associated injuries
- Medical treatment required
- Work impact
- California’s pure comparative negligence
- County location
Our law firm has secured significant compensation for clients suffering a wide range of serious injuries in car accidents, including broken sternums. These injuries often occur alongside other trauma such as spinal damage, concussions, and emotional distress, particularly in high-impact collisions. Below are actual results from our car accident practice:
- $4,200,000 – Long Beach settlement for an auto crash resulting in a back injury
- $4,000,000 – Los Angeles verdict for an auto crash causing PTSD and concussion
- $2,500,000 – Orange County settlement for an auto crash with back injury and emotional injuries
- $2,000,000 – Los Angeles settlement for an auto crash causing spinal injury
Legal Advice for Fractured Sternum Compensation
To pursue compensation for your sternum injuries, you must meet specific legal requirements in California. Understanding these criteria helps ensure you don’t miss critical deadlines that could jeopardize your personal injury case.
You’re eligible to file a claim if you:
- Were injured from the crash and can prove negligence caused your trauma
- File within California’s two-year statute of limitations from the accident date
✔️ Getting tailored legal advice about your specific situation is vital for maximizing your settlement. Our team offers a free consultation to evaluate your case and explain your legal options for pursuing the financial compensation you deserve.
Our California car accident attorney provides comprehensive legal support to help you through the complexities of your sternum injury claim.
How Much Compensation for Broken Ribs in a Car Accident
Compensation for rib-related injuries varies significantly based on the type and severity of your trauma. California’s generous jury awards and high cost of living often result in higher settlement amounts compared to other states, making proper legal representation important for maximizing your payout.
Estimated settlement ranges based on typical injury severity. Actual outcomes depend on medical treatment, long-term impact, and case-specific factors.:
| Injury Type | Settlement Range | Recovery Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bruised Ribs | $3,000 – $10,000 | 4-6 weeks |
| Single Rib Fracture | $5,000 – $15,000 | 6-8 weeks |
| Multiple Rib Fractures | $10,000 – $25,000 | 8-12 weeks |
| Fractured Sternum | $65,000 – $250,000 | 10-16 weeks |
| Severe Sternum with Complications | $150,000 – $450,000 | 4-12 months |
Compensation for Fractured Sternum
Fractured sternum settlements typically range from $65,000 to $250,000 in California. A sternum fracture is considered a serious injury because the breastbone protects vital organs, including your heart and lungs.
Insurance companies often undervalue these injuries because they may require less medical treatment than other broken bones. However, the pain and suffering from a fractured sternum can be excruciating and long-lasting. The cartilage connecting your ribs to the sternum may also be damaged, creating additional complications that affect your settlement value.
💡 Sternum injuries frequently occur due to seatbelt restraint during high-impact collisions, which can save your life but cause significant chest wall trauma. The fact that safety equipment caused your injury doesn’t reduce the defendant’s liability for your damages.
Understanding the average settlement for a broken bone in a car accident helps contextualize how sternum fractures compare to other bone injuries in terms of compensation potential.
Pain and Suffering Broken Sternum
Pain and suffering damages for sternum fractures typically account for 2-5 times your medical expenses in California settlements. The physical pain from a fractured sternum injury can be overwhelming, affecting every aspect of your daily life, from breathing to sleeping.
Victims describe the sensation as having someone constantly pressing on their chest with intense pressure. Simple activities like coughing, laughing, or even taking deep breaths become agonizing experiences. This type of trauma often results in emotional distress and anxiety about future complications, which California law allows you to recover as non-economic damages.
The psychological impact of not being able to work for months while dealing with persistent chest pain can lead to depression and financial stress. California doesn’t cap pain and suffering awards in personal injury claims, allowing juries to fully compensate victims for their complete experience of suffering.
How Much Can I Get for 2 Fractured Ribs
Two fractured ribs typically result in settlements between $10,000 and $25,000 in California, though complications can increase this amount significantly. Multiple rib fractures create more severe pain and longer recovery times than single breaks.
💡 Hypothetical Scenario: A construction worker fractures two ribs in a head-on crash caused by a red-light violation. The injuries lead to extended recovery and several weeks off work. Clear liability and lost income contribute to a $95,000 settlement.
The proximity of rib fractures to vital organs like your spleen and lungs increases the risk of complications. When ribs are broken near major blood vessels, internal bleeding becomes a serious concern requiring immediate orthopedic evaluation and ongoing monitoring.
How Much Compensation for Bruised Ribs in a Car Accident
Bruised rib settlements in California typically range from $3,000 to $10,000, significantly less than fractured rib settlements due to the absence of a bone break. Despite this, bruised ribs can still cause serious pain and limit daily activities. Insurance companies often downplay these injuries, citing lower medical costs, but bruising may also signal soft tissue trauma that deserves compensation.
⚠️ Don’t accept quick settlement offers for bruised ribs without proper medical evaluation. Sometimes what initially appears as bruising may involve hairline fractures that become apparent only after additional imaging studies.
Our Torrance car accident lawyer understands the profound impact sternum and rib injuries have on your daily life and fights to ensure you receive full compensation for your pain and suffering.
Calculating Your Broken Rib Settlement Amount
Knowing what your case might be worth can give you a major advantage when dealing with insurance companies. Our car accident settlement calculator offers a helpful starting point by estimating potential compensation based on your injury type, fault level, and other key factors.
It empowers you to approach negotiations with realistic expectations and the confidence to push for what you deserve. For an accurate evaluation, consult directly with one of our experienced California car accident attorneys.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only. It provides general estimates and does not constitute legal advice. Actual settlement values depend on the unique facts of your case, including injury severity, medical costs, liability, and insurance coverage.
Selected Value: 0%
Factors That Affect Your California Fractured Sternum Car Accident Compensation
Several key factors determine how much compensation you’ll receive for your sternum injury case. Understanding these elements helps our attorney build you the strongest possible claim for maximum recovery.
The primary factors affecting your settlement include:
- Severity of fracture: Displaced fractures requiring surgical repair result in higher settlements than simple cracks
- Associated injuries: Damage to lungs, heart, or other ribs significantly increases settlement amounts
- Medical treatment required: Surgery, extended hospitalization, and ongoing therapy increase your damages
- Work impact: Being unable to work affects your lost wages and future earning capacity
- California’s pure comparative negligence: Your percentage of fault reduces your settlement proportionally
- County location: Los Angeles and San Francisco typically produce higher jury awards than rural counties
📌 The California Courts system’s pure comparative negligence rule means you can recover damages even if you’re partially at fault, though your percentage of responsibility will reduce your settlement.
Our firm’s deep understanding of how different California venues handle personal injury cases helps us choose the most favorable jurisdiction for your claim when possible. At Feher Law, we believe everyone deserves justice delivered with compassion and professionalism, which drives our commitment to securing maximum compensation for every client.
Our San Bernardino car accident attorney has extensive experience handling complex sternum injury cases throughout the Inland Empire region.
Medical Treatment and Recovery for Sternum Fractures
Sternum fractures typically require 10-16 weeks for complete healing, though more severe injuries may need several months of recovery. The breastbone’s location makes these injuries particularly challenging because nearly every movement affects the healing process.
Initial medical treatment usually involves emergency room evaluation to rule out damage to underlying organs. Chest X-rays and CT scans help doctors assess whether your heart, lungs, or major blood vessels sustained trauma from the impact. Pain management becomes vital because sternum pain can make breathing difficult, potentially leading to complications like pneumonia.
UC Davis Medical Center and other leading California hospitals emphasize the importance of early mobility despite pain to prevent secondary complications. Physical therapy often begins within the first few weeks to maintain chest wall flexibility and prevent long-term stiffness.
Long-term effects may include chronic pain, breathing difficulties, and visible deformity of the chest wall. Patients with osteoporosis or other pre-existing conditions often experience slower healing and higher complication rates, factors that significantly impact settlement values.
The California Department of Public Health provides resources for understanding injury recovery timelines and connecting with appropriate medical specialists throughout the state.
California Laws Affecting the Average Payout For a Broken Sternum
California’s legal framework creates favorable conditions for personal injury victims seeking compensation for sternum injuries. Understanding these laws helps you maximize your recovery and avoid common pitfalls that could reduce your settlement.
Key California laws affecting your case include:
- Two-year statute of limitations: You must file your lawsuit within two years of the accident date or lose your right to compensation.
- Pure comparative negligence: You can recover damages even if you’re 99% at fault, though your award is reduced proportionally.
- No damage caps: California doesn’t limit pain and suffering awards in auto accident cases, allowing full compensation for physical and emotional harm.
- Minimum insurance requirements: All drivers must carry $15,000/$30,000 bodily injury coverage, though this is often insufficient for serious injuries like a broken sternum.
The California Legislative Information website provides detailed insights into these statutes, but successfully applying them to your case takes legal skill. Working with our experienced California personal injury attorney can help ensure these laws work in your favor, not against you, when pursuing a fair settlement.
Common Insurance Company Tactics in Sternum Injury Claims
Insurance companies frequently use specific strategies to minimize payouts for sternum injuries, taking advantage of the fact that these injuries may require less obvious medical treatment than other serious injuries.
Common tactics used by insurance adjusters include:
- Minimizing pain and suffering: Arguing that limited medical treatment means less actual pain and trauma.
- Questioning injury causation: Claiming your sternum injury existed before the accident or resulted from other activities.
- Pressure for quick settlements: Offering fast but inadequate payouts before the full extent of your injuries becomes apparent.
- Disputing treatment necessity: Challenging the need for ongoing physical therapy or pain management.
Insurance companies often target sternum injury cases because victims may not realize the long-term implications of their trauma. Unlike broken legs or arms that require obvious treatments like casts, sternum injuries heal primarily through rest and time, making it easier for adjusters to argue for lower settlements.
⚠️ Never accept the first settlement offer without consulting our firm. These initial offers typically represent a fraction of your case’s true value and become binding once accepted. When you’ve suffered a fractured sternum due to negligence, the losses a victim suffers extend far beyond immediate medical costs.
Our Huntington Beach car accident lawyer provides dedicated representation to maximize your compensation while you focus on healing from your injuries.
Maximizing Your Sternum Injury Compensation in California
Taking the right steps after your accident significantly impacts your ability to recover full compensation for your sternum injury. Proper documentation and medical care create the foundation for a successful personal injury case.
Essential steps for maximizing your settlement include:
- Seek immediate medical attention: Emergency room evaluation documents the connection between your accident and injuries.
- Follow all treatment recommendations: Gaps in medical care give insurance companies ammunition to dispute your claim.
- Document symptoms daily: Keep detailed records of pain levels, limitations, and how injuries affect your daily activities.
- Preserve all evidence: Photographs of vehicle damage, accident scene, and your injuries strengthen your case.
- Avoid recorded statements: Don’t provide detailed statements to the other driver’s insurance company without legal representation.
Our firm’s strategic approach involves building comprehensive cases that demonstrate the full scope of our clients’ losses. We work with medical experts, accident reconstruction specialists, and economists to present compelling evidence of your damages. This comprehensive approach reflects our mission to champion the rights of those wronged and ensure they receive the justice and compensation they deserve.
The Insurance Research Council found that injured claimants represented by an attorney receive settlements 3.5x larger on average than those who go it alone.
When to Contact a California Car Accident Attorney
Certain warning signs indicate you need professional legal representation to protect your rights and maximize your compensation. Sternum injuries often involve complex medical and legal issues that require experienced handling.
You should contact an attorney immediately if you’ve suffered a fractured sternum due to someone else’s negligence. These cases involve significant medical expenses, lost wages, and long-term complications that insurance companies will try to minimize. Our team understands how to properly value these claims and negotiate with adjusters who specialize in reducing payouts.
The legal process can feel overwhelming while you’re dealing with physical trauma and financial stress. We handle all communication with insurance companies, medical providers, and opposing counsel, allowing you to focus on healing. We investigate the accident, gather evidence, and build a compelling case that demonstrates the full extent of your losses.
📌 For more guidance on whether legal representation is right for your situation, read our detailed analysis of “should I get a lawyer for a car accident that wasn’t my fault.”
At Feher Law, our approach centers on profound empathy for our clients, striving to walk in their shoes and become their voice in their most challenging times. We understand that relationships with our clients can extend several years, especially when cases progress to litigation or trial, which is why clients truly become an extension of our family.
Get the compensation you deserve. Call (310) 340-1112 or fill out our contact form now for a free, no-obligation case review.
FAQs
How long does it take to settle a broken sternum car accident case in California?
Broken sternum settlements typically take 6-18 months to resolve in California, depending on injury severity and case complexity. Simple cases with clear liability may settle within six months, while complex cases involving surgery or disputed fault can take over a year to resolve.
Can I still get compensation if the car accident was partially my fault?
Yes, California’s pure comparative negligence law allows you to recover compensation even if you’re partially at fault for the accident. Your settlement will be reduced by your percentage of responsibility, so if you’re 30% at fault, you’ll receive 70% of your total damages.
What if my sternum injury symptoms get worse after I settle my case?
Once you accept a settlement, you cannot seek additional compensation for worsening symptoms related to that accident. This is why it’s vital to wait until you reach maximum medical improvement before settling and to account for potential future complications in your settlement amount.
Do I have to go to court for my broken sternum car accident claim?
Most sternum injury cases settle out of court through negotiations between attorneys and insurance companies. However, if the insurance company refuses to offer fair compensation, filing a lawsuit and potentially going to trial may be necessary to recover full damages for your injuries.
What happens if the other driver doesn't have enough insurance to cover my sternum injury?
If the at-fault driver has insufficient coverage, you may be able to collect from your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Additionally, you might pursue the driver’s personal assets, though this is often impractical if they lack substantial resources beyond their policy limits.
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