There are many possible reasons why you might experience chest pain after a car accident. Some of them are more serious than others, but you can’t diagnose the problem yourself.
If you’re having chest pain, you should seek medical care immediately and let the medical staff know about your car accident.
What if you didn’t have any symptoms immediately after the accident but began experiencing chest pain later? This happens more often than many people realize.
In some cases, the adrenaline rush of the accident inhibits your ability to feel pain, so you may think you’re uninjured but experience pain and other symptoms later. Additionally, some injuries feel worse the next day or a few days later as the body tries to heal itself.
The fact that your symptoms didn’t begin instantly after your accident does not mean the accident is unrelated.
How Can a Bridgeport Car Accident Chest Pain Attorney Help You?
Treating your chest pain and other injuries after a car accident can leave you with expensive medical bills and may require you to take time off work, costing you even more money. While you’re in pain and struggling to recover, the at-fault driver could be telling their car insurance company that you’re at fault.
The insurance adjuster will probably believe the other driver because it means they have a reason to deny your claim for medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages. An experienced Bridgeport car accident attorney can help you fight the insurance company for your right to compensation, including:
Medical bills. Visiting an emergency room for chest pain or other injuries can be costly, even if you have health insurance. We’ll review your current medical bills and ask about future treatment to ensure all your medical expenses are covered. Additionally, we’ll inquire about out-of-pocket costs for things like mobility aids, physical therapy, travel costs to see a different doctor, etc.
Lost income. Taking time off to recover from injuries either reduces your next paycheck or eats up your paid time off (PTO) that you might have been saving for happier occasions, like a vacation. We’ll go over your pay stubs to determine how much income you lost to your injuries and seek compensation.
Lost earning potential. If your injuries cause a permanent disability that prevents you from returning to work or forces you to take a lower-paying job, we will pursue damages for your lost earning potential.
Pain and suffering. Although you may not have documentation, such as a bill or pay stub, for your pain, it’s still valid damage. This includes both physical pain and mental or emotional distress.
Property damage. While dealing with a stack of medical bills, you may also have an estimate for car repairs or replacement. You should receive the full amount for needed repairs or replacement, including depreciation, if the accident impacted your car’s value.
What Causes Chest Pain After a Car Accident?
First, we want to reiterate that if you are having chest pain, you should seek medical attention right away. Chest pain can have many causes, and some of them could be serious or even life-threatening.
Here are some common injuries associated with chest pain after a car accident:
Chest contusions. Most modern cars have airbags, and while these reduce the risk of many injuries, sometimes they can also cause injuries. Because the airbag expands toward the driver, chest contusions or bruises from the airbag happen frequently. In some cases, these are minor bruises that may be painful but will heal quickly. However, in other situations, there could be internal bleeding or more severe complications from bruising in the chest area.
Broken ribs. Anyone who has experienced a fractured rib will tell you how painful they can be. Even coughing or sneezing can be agonizing, and it could take weeks or months before they finally feel better. Worse, a broken rib can be life-threatening if a piece of rib punctures a lung or other organs, so it’s essential to see a doctor for X-rays. In car accidents, broken ribs can be caused by an airbag or the steering wheel itself hitting the chest. They also sometimes occur in situations where the car was T-boned by another vehicle, and the car door collapsed inward, hitting the driver or passenger in the ribs.
Sternum fractures. The sternum is the bone in the middle of your chest that attaches to all the ribs. Like the ribs, it can be broken by an airbag impact or being flung against your seatbelt in a collision.
Costochondritis. In this painful condition, the cartilage that joins the sternum and ribs becomes inflamed. Costochondritis can have multiple causes, including infection or arthritis, but it may also be triggered by an injury in a car accident.
Muscle or soft tissue strain. The muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues in the chest can be strained or torn by the impact of the crash. Usually, these injuries heal on their own, but sometimes, a torn muscle or ligament requires further treatment.
Collarbone fracture or injury. In some cases, collarbone pain is felt in the sternum or chest area after a car accident. X-rays can help reveal the location of the damage, and your doctor will decide the best course of treatment.
Cardiac events. You can have a heart attack or cardiac event at any time or place, but stressful situations like car accidents can undoubtedly put extra strain on your heart. In some situations, an accident may precipitate a heart attack. Chest pain from cardiac issues is highly variable from one person to the next, so it’s essential to have any kind of chest pain evaluated immediately.
Acid reflux or heartburn. Stressful events like car accidents can also increase stomach acid production and worsen conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn. These situations can usually be treated with acid-reducing medications, but you still need to see a doctor to ensure you’re not having a more severe problem like a heart attack.
What if the At-Fault Driver’s Car Insurance Company Doesn’t Want to Pay Your Claim?
Car insurance adjusters are always intent on finding any excuse to reject your claim. If the at-fault driver’s insurance company has denied your claim, please contact a lawyer right away.
We’ll review the denial, gather evidence to support your claim and build a strategy to win your case.
Often, the insurance adjuster will reject a claim on the basis of fault—if you caused the accident, they don’t have to pay anything. They can even reject you for fault-based reasons if the other driver was ticketed or admitted fault because Connecticut permits shared fault in personal injury cases.
A party with less than 51 percent responsibility can still seek damages from the primarily responsible party but will lose their own share of fault from the final award.
In some ways, this process is an equitable way to deal with car accident damage when both drivers made mistakes that contributed to the crash. Essentially, you will only be responsible for your share of fault.
But this system also provides opportunities for car insurance companies to take advantage of injured people. The insurance adjuster might insist you had some percentage of fault when you know you did nothing wrong.
Or, the adjuster could claim that your percentage of fault was higher than 51 percent when, in reality, it might have only been 20 or 30 percent or less. Your personal injury lawyer in Bridgeport will help you work out how much (if any) fault you actually had and will negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement.
What if the Insurance Company Makes You an Offer?
Please have the offer reviewed by an attorney before making a decision. Frequently, we find that the insurance company’s initial proposal does not cover all the injured person’s damages or account for future costs.
If the insurance adjuster extends an offer, it’s usually because they recognize there is insurmountable evidence of their client’s culpability in the crash. They make you a lowball offer, hoping you’ll accept and relieve them of further responsibility in the matter.
It can be hard to know if an insurance company’s offer is fair when you are not an insurance industry expert. Many offers sound reasonable at first, but when we calculate all the client’s damages, we find they don’t begin to cover the claim’s actual value.
For this reason, an attorney will help you determine how much your claim is really worth. If the insurance company’s offer falls short, we can negotiate for a better deal on your behalf.
Get Help From a Bridgeport Car Accident Chest Pain Law Firm Today
If you or a loved one are suffering from chest pain after an accident, please get medical attention and then contact Bert McDowell Injury Law for a free consultation. We’ll review the accident report, answer your questions, and lay out the options for pursuing compensation.
Attorney Bert McDowell Jr. is an experienced trial lawyer who assists clients with a variety of personal injury matters. He was recognized in 40 Under 40 Connecticut Magazine and National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40.
Committed to community service, Mr. McDowell has also received the 100 Men of Color Award and the Man of Excellence Award from the organization Black People Rocks. Work with him today by calling (203) 590-9169.
(203) 690-1030
(203) 690-1030
There are many possible reasons why you might experience chest pain after a car accident. Some of them are more serious than others, but you can’t diagnose the problem yourself.