Many auto accidents result in chest injuries to the occupants in the vehicles. As your car collides with another vehicle or a fixed object, you will likely get thrown forward and backward from the sudden impact. You might hit your seat belt, door, dashboard, steering wheel, or airbag.
Sometimes only a minor chest injury. But in other circumstances, the impact could cause life-threatening damage to your vital organs, leaving you incapacitated or even with a permanent disability.
If you’ve sustained chest injuries after a car accident in New York City, NY, contact Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. PC at 212-240-9465 for a free, no obligation, in-office consultation in our Lower Manhattan Office.
How an NYC Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You Pursue Compensation for Your Chest Injuries
If you hire our NYC personal injury law firm for help after your car accident, we will:
- Gather evidence proving every element of your claim, including liability and the value of your damages
- Handle filings, communications, and all other aspects of your case
- Negotiate with insurance companies and other adversaries as we work towards a fair settlement if possible
- Represent you in court if we cannot reach a fair settlement without filing a lawsuit
Car accident injuries can require expensive medical treatment and prevent you from earning a living.
How Common Are Chest Injuries After a Car Accident in NYC?
The NYC crash statistics portal reported over 100,000 car accidents in 2022. Of these, 24,435 car crashes caused at least one injury, and 104 crashes caused at least one fatality. In total, these crashes killed 113 people and injured another 35,254.
A past study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that the risk of a chest injury varies depending on the type of crash:
- In rollover crashes, 6%–9% have minor chest injuries, and 29%–32% have serious chest injuries
- In driver’s side impacts, 6%–16% have minor chest injuries, and 49%–50% have serious chest injuries
- In head-on collisions, 9%–15% have minor chest injuries, and 37%–39% have serious chest injuries
- In rear-end hits, 5%–9% have minor chest injuries, and 18%–19% have serious chest injuries
Impacts to the driver’s side of the vehicle have the highest risk of causing a chest injury. Rear-end crashes have the lowest risk.
How Do NYC Car Accidents Cause Chest Injuries?
Chest injuries in car accidents usually result from blunt trauma to the chest. This type of trauma happens when the chest hits a solid object without suffering an open wound. Hitting the door, steering wheel, or dashboard qualifies as blunt trauma.
Chest injuries can also result from hyperextension. These injuries happen when the twisting and bending of the body during a crash stretch and tear the tissues.
What Types of Chest Injuries Can Occur in Car Accidents?
Collisions can cause several types of chest injuries, including:
Bruises
Bruises happen when you rupture blood vessels under the skin. These injuries cause discoloration, swelling, and pain. The impact of a seat belt can bruise your chest.
Chest Strain
Strains happen when the tendons or muscles in your chest hyperextend. The stretching damages the cells and can even tear the tissue.
Chest strains can produce:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Weakness
- Stiffness and muscle spasms
Strains usually heal within four to six weeks with home care.
Broken Ribs
Fractured ribs can result from a powerful blunt impact. Symptoms of broken ribs include pain, particularly while breathing, and swelling. A broken rib will heal within six to eight weeks.
Collapsed Lung
If an object pierces your chest cavity, air can get pulled into your chest. The air then squeezes the lung, causing it to collapse. A collapsed lung requires emergency treatment to avoid permanent lung damage or even death.
Liability for Chest Injuries After a Car Accident in New York City
Under New York’s no-fault auto insurance system, you must first seek compensation from your auto insurer. You can receive insurance benefits regardless of who caused the crash, hence the name “no-fault.”
If you suffer a serious chest injury, New York law allows you to pursue a claim against the at-fault driver. To win your claim, you must prove that the at-fault driver was negligent in causing your accident. Negligence means that the other driver failed to exercise reasonable care while driving.
Negligent drivers bear liability for chest injuries directly and indirectly related to the negligence if you can prove causation. Suppose another driver ran a red light and caused you to swerve and crash head-on into a light pole. You can recover compensation for your chest injuries even though the at-fault driver did not hit you.
A chest injury can seriously injure you or even disable you. Contact Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. PC at 212-240-9465 for your free, no obligation, in-office consultation and see how you can get the Wheels of Justice Spinning for You!
