What Should I Do if I Have Hip Pain After a Car Accident?

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In a best-case scenario, car accidents leave their victims with no injuries to deal with, and perhaps some damage to their car to repair. However, unfortunately, due to the size and speed of the vehicles on the road, accidents often have much more severe consequences. One potential consequence of a car accident is hip pain. Hip pain can be particularly damaging given that it can flare up every time the person suffering tries to get up and move around. If you are suffering from hip pain after a car accident, the best move to make for you and your family might be to speak with a lawyer who deals with car accidents and hip pain.

If you or a loved one is suffering from hip pain after a car accident, call (800) 863-5312 to speak with Zinda Law Group today.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I HAVE HIP PAIN AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT?

When a car accident victim is suffering from hip pain, it is typically the result of a large amount of force being applied to the hip area. This can happen, for instance, if a vehicle traveling at a high speed impacts the side of your vehicle and crushes your car into your hip, causing a hip fracture. It can also occur if the victim’s body undergoes a significant change in speed or unnatural contortions, which might dislocate or strain muscles in the hip. Whatever the cause, those suffering from hip pain after a car accident know that it is not fun at all.

If you find yourself asking, “What do I do next?” speaking with an experienced car accident attorney can be a good place to start. A lawyer might be able to help you assess your options and answer basic questions, such as whether you can file a claim for car accident hip pain or not. Once you have answered the basic questions, your attorney may be able to help you fight for the compensation that you might be entitled to using their expertise of the subject area and experience with handling similar claims.

STEPS TO TAKE

While no two accidents are ever the same, it will usually be helpful to follow these basic steps.

1. Seek Medical Attention

First and foremost, make sure to seek the appropriate medical attention for your injuries. This is important for a couple of different reasons. First, certain injuries might be somewhat masked by the adrenaline of the accident, which means that they can be more serious than they feel. Going to a medical professional soon after the accident can catch these and other sorts of injuries and may help prevent them from getting worse. Receiving compensation for your injuries will depend on your ability to relate your specific injuries to the accident you were involved in. Going to a doctor soon after your accident might strengthen these ties—waiting to see a doctor might give opposing attorneys room to argue that your injury is not related to the accident.

2. Document the Incident

Car accident cases require the victim to produce evidence to support their claim. As such, it is always better to be overprepared than to be underprepared, because it is difficult to determine at the outset of a case what might end up becoming critical to the case. Soon after your accident, it is important to begin the process of documenting what happened. This included gathering medical records, bills for repairing damage to your vehicle, and any photo or video evidence that might be available.

3. Talk with a Lawyer

As soon as you possibly can, it is important to speak with a qualified and experienced attorney. A lawyer might be able to help you by offering advice, as well as working on your behalf in pursuit of maximum compensation if you hire them. When looking for an attorney to handle your case, it is important to ensure that they are efficient communicators who will keep you up to date on developments on your case. They should not be too overloaded with other clients that they cannot give your case the attention that it deserves.

TYPES OF HIP INJURIES

After your accident, there are several possible injuries that could be causing your hip pain. While only a doctor can advise you on your specific injury, a few of the more common hip injuries include:

Fractures

A hip fracture is a break in the thighbone of your hip joint. Hip fractures most often occur in elderly people, but they can happen to anyone. Hip fractures can be the result of a car accident because accidents can cause blunt force trauma. There can be serious complications associated with a hip fracture, including pneumonia, infection after your operation, and even bedsores from being forced to lie in the same position while unable to move.

Hip Dislocation

refers to the situation in which the head of the femur is forced out of its socket in the pelvis. Like a fracture, hip dislocations require large amounts of force, which is why they often can be accompanied by breaks. Treating a dislocation involves putting it back into its proper place, which can sometimes be done through external manipulation in a process called a reduction.

Hip Strain and Sprain

Generally speaking, a strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon, and a sprain is an injury to a ligament. Hip strains typically occur as a result of excessive force on a muscle or tendon, which can certainly come about during a car accident. Some symptoms of hip strains include swelling, tenderness, and stiffness, and minor strains or sprains may be able to be treated with icing and rest.

CONCERNS ABOUT HIP PAIN FOLLOWING A CAR ACCIDENT

Car accidents resulting in hip pain can be jarring to the whole body. For example, a knee slamming into a dashboard can cause a misalignment in the entire body. There are many concerns that an accident victim needs to deal with after their accident and hip injury. First, severe pain often accompanies hip injuries. Accident victims might find that the pain is too much even to participate in daily activities like driving, playing with children, or even simply walking around.

Hip pain can also cause financial strain. Hip pain might be so severe that it leaves victims unable to go to work, resulting in lost income. Medical bills are expensive and can add up quickly with the extensive medical attention that hip injuries can sometimes require. This is not to mention any bills that you might have for repairing your vehicle or other ancillary expenses.

CAN I FILE A CLAIM FOR HIP INJURIES?

Determining whether or not you can file a claim for hip injuries will likely involve a conversation with an experienced attorney where you discuss the specific details of your case. Filing a claim involves several components, which an attorney may be able to fill you in on.

In some cases, not only can you file a claim for hip injuries, but it may be your only way to recover the compensation that you are entitled to. Again, speaking with an attorney may help in determining whether you have a claim, what your claim might be worth, and how to go about pursuing it.

LEGAL TIME LIMITS

Every type of personal injury claim has an associated statute of limitations. The statute of limitations is simply the legal term for the amount of time that you have, starting from the date of your accident and injury, within which to file a claim. For example, if the statute of limitations that applies to your situation is two years, then you will have two years from the date of your accident to file a claim. The statute of limitations varies from state to state, so be sure to speak with a local attorney as quickly as possible to avoid running into a timing problem.

There are certain exceptions to these general rules that may apply to your situation, however. For example, if the accident victim is a minor at the time of their accident, then the statute of limitations might not begin to run until they reach the age of majority in their state. There may also be situations where the accident victim doesn’t discover their injuries for some time after the accident. This is another situation where there might be an applicable exception to the general statute of limitations. The best advice in most situations, however, is to not bank on an exception and speak with an attorney as soon as possible.

CONTACT ZINDA LAW GROUP TODAY

If you are suffering hip pain after a car accident, contact the car accident lawyers at Zinda Law Group. Our attorneys may fight for you and your family and help you seek the compensation that you are entitled to. We believe that accident victims shouldn’t have to worry about their ability to afford legal representation, which is why offer our No Win, No Fee Guarantee—you don’t pay us anything until we win your case for you.

If you or a loved one is suffering from hip pain after a car accident, call (800) 863-5312 for a free consultation.