What Damages Can You Recover After Suffering a Broken Tailbone in a Car Accident?
People pay close attention to their hands, legs, face, and eyes. Rarely do people think about something like their tailbone. Some people do not even know what the tailbone is. Your tailbone is the small triangular bone at the bottom of your spine. This bone is made up of five fused vertebrae. The tailbone serves a crucial role in the body. It supports your weight and helps maintain your balance when sitting down. An injury to your tailbone, such as a fracture, can be debilitating, causing severe pain, discomfort, and limitations in mobility. A tailbone injury can affect daily activities such as sitting, standing, and walking.
A broken tailbone can happen in a car accident. For example, in a rear-end accident, the force of the crash can transmit through the seat and directly onto the tailbone, causing a fracture. If a person is ejected from the car, they may suffer a broken tailbone if they land forcefully on the ground or an object. Also, a fractured tailbone can occur if a person is raised from their seat and slammed back down during an accident. After suffering a severe broken tailbone in a Florida car accident because of another party’s negligence, you have the right to file a personal injury claim against the negligent party and recover compensation.
What Compensation Can You Recover After Suffering a Broken Tailbone in a Florida Car Accident?
If you suffered a broken tailbone in a car accident because of another party’s negligence, you may be eligible to recover various forms of compensation, depending on the specifics of your case. The following are some of the forms of compensation you could recover;
- Medical Expenses
You can seek compensation for all medical expenses related to treating your broken tailbone, including emergency room visits, hospitalization, medications, surgery, and physical therapy. Apart from past medical expenses, you are also eligible to recover compensation for future medical expenses.
- Pain and Suffering
The emotional distress, physical pain, and physical discomfort caused by your injury are compensable as non-economic damages. This includes any pain and suffering you are expected to experience in the future.
- Lost Wages
If your broken tailbone resulted in you missing work (which it most likely did), you can claim compensation for the lost wages.
- Lost Earning Capacity
If your injury caused a reduction in your earning capacity, you have the right to be compensated for that lost earning capacity. You can claim compensation for future income loss.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life
You can recover compensation for the impact the broken tailbone has had on your ability to do the things you enjoyed doing before your accident.
- Disability
If your injury results in permanent disability, you are entitled to additional compensation.
The above forms of compensation or damages are called compensatory damages. Depending on the specifics of your case, you may be eligible to recover punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. These damages are meant to punish the defendant and can only be awarded if your accident involved intentional misconduct or gross negligence.
Contact Us for Legal Help
Our Miami personal injury attorneys at The Pendas law firm are available to help you seek compensation if you suffered a broken tailbone in a car accident because of another party’s negligence. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
The Pendas Law also represents clients in the Tampa, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, Naples, Melbourne, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Bradenton, Daytona Beach, and West Palm Beach areas.