We help Bakersfield victims who suffer painful knee injuries in car accidents caused by reckless drivers.
If you have endured a knee fracture or strain in a crash, contact Maison Law Accident & Injuries Lawyers for a free consultation.
You can find out more about what we can do for car accident victims on our Bakersfield Car Accident Lawyer page.
How to Tell If You Need a Car Accident Lawyer After Suffering Whiplash
The question of whether you need a lawyer for your case is often answered by how long it takes you to heal and the size of your medical bills. If your knee injury is serious and your medical bills keep growing, you’ll likely want the help of a lawyer.
Insurers go to extreme lengths to avoid accountability for accidents when recovery will be expensive. They’ll falsely claim that you caused the accident, or they may just write your knee injury off as very minor, when, in fact, it is not.
Our lawyers fully investigate accidents so the facts can’t be twisted by the insurer. We then battle to secure the most compensation possible for you. This can mean earning much more than you could by handling a claim yourself.
These are a few of the types of injuries that may leave you in need of a lawyer:
- A knee cap (patella) fracture
- Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear, especially common when bent knees hit dashboards
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, especially common when the knee is twisted in a crash
- Meniscus cartilage tear
- Knee dislocation
- Your child or another family member suffers a serious knee injury in an accident
California allows car accident victims to handle their own claims without a lawyer. But when victims will need weeks or months of care, a lawyer can take action to force insurers to stop delaying and turn over settlement money to pay for all hardships.
Reach Out to Us for a Free, No-Risk Consultation
We offer a free, supportive case consultation to any car accident victim in Kern County. The family members of a victim, who may not be in any shape to represent themself, can also contact us to schedule a free case review. There’s no obligation for this meeting, and it’s strictly confidential.
It’s the perfect, no-risk option when you aren’t sure if you have a case or not. Let’s go over your questions and find your best path to receiving help in getting your life back on track after a knee injury.
Earning Support for Knee Injury Victims After Car Accidents
Victims must ensure they list every hardship they’ve been through within an accident claim. Economic damages must be in there, including the medical bills and physical therapy invoices that knee injury victims receive almost daily.
They must include their non-economic damages, such as the loss of enjoyment of life their immobility may cause. Everything must be mentioned in a claim, because any damage left off is something the insurance company can ignore. Victims would have to cover the cost.
An experienced lawyer makes sure your claim is complete and filed correctly.
A lawyer would demand support for common hardships, and a few things victims may not realize can increase their settlement checks:
- The total on all current medical bills
- The total estimate for any care that could be required in the future (e.g., future surgeries, additional physical therapy, arthritis treatment)
- Estimates on a lifetime of care if victims must live with a permanent physical disability
- Support for a permanent disfigurement, perhaps involving a limp
- Support for the physical pain endured
- Support for the emotional trauma victims must manage
- Support for the income victims may lose while down with a knee injury
- Support to help victims find a new career if an injury keeps them from returning to their former profession
Knee Injury Complications
The knee is a major component in our mobility, flexibility, and balance. An injury can severely limit our ability to walk, exercise, work, and enjoy family activities. A strain, tear, or fracture might even keep us from getting behind the wheel for months.
The time the injury keeps victims from their normal life is all time that must be compensated by an auto insurer. That can involve months with a knee injury, depending on the type of damage.
An X-Ray may be used to spot a fracture to the kneecap or the top of the shin bone.
An MRI or ultrasound taken at a hospital like Kern Medical may be used to detect tissue damage to ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and muscle. According to the Mayo Clinic, surgery may be prescribed if a bone needs to be reconstructed. Eventually, patients with persistent problems may opt to get a knee partially replaced with metal or plastic parts. Tendons and cartilage can be repaired arthroscopically in some cases.
With sprains and strains, doctors may also try injections such as those involving Corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and pain. Physical therapy may focus on strengthening the muscles around the knee.
Each step comes with big and small costs that recovering victims will struggle to pay, as they must also often deal with dwindling paychecks while unable to work.
Relying on Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers When Taking on an Insurance Company
The road to recovery can involve many different types of therapy and surgical procedures. And car insurance companies should never leave victims to face the cost of care alone. An experienced attorney has dealt with cases involving major injuries before.
That knowledge is important when settlement offers arrive. A lawyer will know when insurance companies have sent “lowball” offers that don’t cover all the needs for the patient. They’ll know when to reject an offer and demand more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do immediately after my car accident and knee injury?
You should contact 911 and get an ambulance on the way immediately. Then, once the scene is secure, it’s a good time to secure evidence that may disappear within an hour. Take photos that show every angle. Get photos of the smashed vehicles, show any markings and debris left on the pavement. Ask witnesses about what they saw and collect contact information so your attorney can contact them for testimony. Get driver’s license and car insurance information from the other driver unless an officer secures the information for you. If your knee injury won’t allow you to move around, you can also ask someone with you or a helpful witness to gather some details for you.
What type of documents should I collect for my case?
Keep all receipts from hospitals, doctors, physical therapists, and surgeons. Save your medical charts confirming how serious your injury is. These documents become important when you must prove to an insurer how long you’ll need financial assistance. You can request the accident report from the Bakersfield Police Department or the CHP. Bring your pay stubs, too. A stub can demonstrate how much you would normally bring home in income, and how much you’ve had to say goodbye to since your accident. If you have a Bakersfield car accident attorney on your case, your lawyer tracks these documents down for you.
How long is the statute of limitations on a knee injury claim?
Car accident victims are allowed to wait two years to file an injury claim. Waiting past this date means any attempt by victims to get help would be rejected. It’s smart to take action immediately, or as soon as your injury allows. Contact a car accident lawyer to go over your options and the deadlines involved. Your lawyer will want to get started immediately and investigate before the evidence disappears. Plus, the sooner you act, the sooner you can hope to receive a settlement check.
Contact a Bakersfield Car Accident Lawyer
If you suffered a serious knee injury, and another driver’s mistake caused your collision, it’s a good idea to take advantage of a free case review. Contact us to discuss your options. Let’s figure out the best way to earn quick and substantial support for your head injury recovery.
One thing you don’t need to worry about is how you’ll pay a lawyer. You don’t need any upfront money to hire Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield. If you need us, we don’t get paid unless we win your case. Then our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company must send you.