The femur is famously one of the strongest bones in the body. Under most circumstances, it is very difficult to break. However, serious injuries like car accidents, truck accidents, or a bad fall can all result in a broken femur. Broken femurs notoriously take a long time to recover and, depending on the severity of your particular break, may require multiple surgeries, lengthy physical therapy sessions, or both.
Generally, settlement offers for cases involving broken femurs are higher than settlement offers for cases involving other broken bones because femurs are so hard to break and difficult to mend. However, averages are not necessarily helpful in determining what a good settlement offer entails for any one case since each plaintiff will have unique needs that need to be met, and their injuries could warrant a settlement offer that is much lower or much higher than the average.
To start discussing your case with our Maryland personal injury lawyers for free, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.
Average Femur Fracture Settlements in Maryland
Average settlement amounts for broken femurs are not necessarily helpful in predicting what a good settlement offer will be for any given plaintiff. This is because each personal injury lawsuit is different, and each plaintiff will have differing needs that need to be met. So, while one plaintiff may be adequately compensated by a lower settlement amount because their injuries are very serious (relatively speaking), a more severely injured plaintiff will not be able to accept that settlement offer because it does not meet their needs.
Things that Can Affect Settlement Offers for a Broken Femur in Maryland
A number of factors can influence whether a settlement offer is good or not, regardless of what an average settlement entails. When you go over your case with our Baltimore personal injury lawyers, we can look at the details of your case and advise you on what we think a fair settlement offer would be. What a fair settlement looks like can be affected by a number of factors which we will detail below.
Extent of Injuries
Arguably, the factor that has the most impact on any personal injury case is the extent of your injuries. The reality is that less serious injuries result in less financial compensation awarded as damages. This is true for damages awarded at trial as well as settlement offers before trial.
Medical Expenses
Linked to the extent of your injuries is the cost of your medical care. Even an injury as serious as a broken femur can have varying degrees of severity, and injuries that are more serious will require more medical care and, therefore, cost more to recover from. Accordingly, payouts for lawsuits where the plaintiff suffered worse injuries will be greater than payouts for lesser injuries. The same goes for settlement offers.
For example, suppose you were in a car accident and the impact broke your femur. If all you needed to recover from your injuries was a standard cast, crutches, and strength retraining after the bone mends, the damages you would be awarded, and likely any settlement offer, would likely be less than the average.
However, suppose instead that the car impact caused a compound fracture in multiple places. You then needed to undergo several surgeries prior to wearing a cast, and even with physical therapy, you do not have the same range of motion in your leg that you had prior to the accident. The settlement offer for those medical expenses will likely be higher, even though it is technically for the same injury.
Strength of Case
The strength of either your argument or the defendant’s argument could have an effect on a settlement offer. A defendant who feels that they may not have a good chance of winning at trial may offer to settle a case. Alternatively, a defendant who feels their case is strong and likely to win may not be as interested in settling or offering a lower amount as a settlement.
Be aware, however, that settlement offers are not always indicative of what one side thinks of their case. Many defendants with strong cases will offer to settle for other reasons, and many with weak cases will nonetheless choose to go to trial.
Considerations When Deciding to Accept a Settlement Offer for a Fractured Femur in Maryland
There are some things to consider when figuring out if you want to accept a settlement offer or not in your case. Unfortunately, there is no specific template to follow for this process. Each case is unique, and so will be the considerations for each settlement offer. We’ll go over some of the things you may want to discuss with our lawyers if you are considering a settlement offer below.
Does the Settlement Offer Meet Your Needs?
Probably the most important consideration when deciding whether to accept a settlement offer or not is whether that offer gets you what you would want out of a lawsuit. Remember, the objective is to have the defendant compensate you for your injuries in such a way that you can get back to your life after you are injured. If this can be accomplished through a settlement rather than a lawsuit, it may be advisable to accept the defendant’s offer. However, if the offer does not meet your needs, you may want to consider going to trial or negotiating for a better offer.
Time and Money
Another consideration is the cost of continued litigation, both in actual money and in time. As cases drag on, the cost of litigation becomes more and more expensive and can eat into any damages you may be awarded in court. Additionally, it can be mentally taxing to deal with a lawsuit for a long time – sometimes years – waiting for the situation to be resolved.
Speak with Our Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers Today
Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s Columbia, MD personal injury lawyers can review your case for free when you call (410) 694-7291.