It is impossible to average how much a person who suffered ankle and foot injuries might recover in a car accident claim. Each case has unique factors that all contribute to the value of the case.
The best way to learn what a fair and just settlement may look like in your case is to work with a car accident attorney. They can help you gather evidence to show the value of your losses and determine how much you should agree to during settlement negotiations.
Causes of Accident-Related Ankle and Foot Pain Can Vary in Severity
The feet and ankles often endure significant stress during a crash. As a result, you could suffer injuries to almost any bone, joint, muscle, tendon, or ligament in either foot and injuries to the soft tissue.
In the most severe cases, ankle and foot pain and injuries can cause long-term impairments, including mobility concerns. Amputations are also possible. The potential causes of ankle and foot pain after a car accident include:
- Contusions and inflammation
- Sprains and strains
- Lacerations and puncture wounds
- Torn ligaments or ruptured tendons
- Dislocations
- Broken bones
Surgery is usually necessary for fractures that affect the major bones of the foot, including the ankle. For example, fractures of the middle foot (Lisfranc fractures) and the heel bone (calcaneus fractures) are both notorious for being difficult to mend, slow to heal, and debilitating.
Ankle and Foot Injuries Can Have Lasting Impacts on Mobility
Serious injuries to the ankle and foot can cause ongoing pain, limited mobility, and difficulty completing daily tasks and activities. Those who suffer injuries to the foot or ankle in a traffic accident may struggle with many things that were not challenging before.
Lasting impacts of this type of injury could include:
- Difficulty standing or walking
- Struggling with household chores, such as mowing or grocery shopping
- The continued use of adaptive and mobility equipment
- Needing pain management long term
- Not being able to return to a previous job
- Struggling to work anywhere that requires standing or walking
- Not being able to exercise or be as active as before
Many of these concerns could contribute to a decline in quality of life compared to a person’s previous activities. In addition, reduced ability to earn a living can hurt financially and psychologically.
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Recoverable Damages Depend on the Losses and Expenses Incurred
The compensation you may be able to recover through an insurance claim depends on the damages you suffered. This includes current and future financial costs, economic losses, and intangible damages. Some specific examples of recoverable damages that are common in these cases include:
- Ambulance transportation
- Medical bills to date and future related care needs
- Ongoing medical treatment, including prescription drug costs
- Medical equipment and mobility devices, including wheelchairs and walkers
- Renovations to your home for mobility concerns
- Vehicle repair costs or replacement
- Miscellaneous expenses
- Pain and suffering and other intangible losses
Other Injuries Impact Settlements
In addition to whatever settlement you win for your foot and ankle pain, you may also be eligible to seek compensation for other injuries you sustained in the accident, such as:
- Injuries to the hand, arm, or shoulders
- Back injuries
- Knee or hip injuries
- Concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and other head injuries
- Mental illness or psychological trauma
In your lawsuit, you could itemize each injury—physical, psychological, and financial—you sustained due to the collision and how it impacted your life. You will receive compensation for whatever injuries you can successfully link to the car accident and the negligent party’s actions.
You could also be compensated for the worsening of a preexisting injury.
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You May Be Able to Reach a Fair and Just Settlement with a Car Accident Attorney’s Help
If you decide to work with our car accident lawyer on your claim, they will investigate what happened. This investigation will uncover evidence to show:
- How the liable party acted negligently and caused the crash
- That you suffered injuries and losses as a result
- The estimated value of your damages
Our attorney will prepare and file an insurance claim, demanding the at-fault driver’s insurer provide fair payment based on the evidence presented. This generally leads to settlement negotiations, and most cases settle without going to trial.
However, if an insurer refuses to issue a just settlement, your lawyer will pursue a civil lawsuit on your behalf. This process asks the court to award an appropriate payout based on your injuries and the facts of the case.
Getting the Settlement You Need
When you seek compensation, you will probably not be dealing directly with the liable party unless they were uninsured. Instead, you must contend with their insurance company.
The liable party’s insurance company has much more experience with car accident cases than you. To protect your interests, you can hire a car accident attorney to:
- Collect evidence to support the amount of compensation you ask for
- Meet with the insurance company’s representatives to negotiate a settlement
- Argue persistently and aggressively if the insurance company shows any reluctance to offer what you need
- Prepare the settlement agreement once you have decided to accept an offer
- Take care of all trial preparations, evidentiary requirements, and arguments, if the insurance company never offers a settlement you are happy with
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What Types of Car Accidents Can Cause Foot and Ankle Injuries?
Car accidents that result in ankle and foot pain can have a variety of causes. However, many could have been prevented if the liable party had shown a little more consideration for the safety of others. Consider the following behaviors.
Distracted Driving
Drivers should always keep their attention on the road, but they all too often become distracted by:
- Cell phones and other electronic devices
- Car passengers
- The radio, air conditioner, or other devices built into the car
- Food or drink
Taking your eyes off the road for even a few seconds can cause an accident.
Disobeying Traffic Signs
Traffic lights, stop signs, yield signs, and other directives exist to help drivers share the road safely. Failure to respect these signs—such as running a red light or not yielding the right of way – can have serious consequences.
Speeding
Exceeding the posted speed limit can be very risky. However, even drivers moving at or below the posted speed limit can be accused of speeding if the environment presents obvious dangers, such as:
- Inclement weather that affects visibility or creates slick spots
- Nighttime darkness, especially if there are no streetlights
- Obstacles in the roadway, such as debris that fell off a car or truck
Drinking and Driving
Drunk driving is a relatively minor cause of car accident injuries: only 6.4 percent of all Louisiana injury crashes in 2021 involved alcohol, per the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development.
This is not because drunk driving is not dangerous: on the contrary, drunk driving is far more likely to result in a fatality than an injury.
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Louisiana Law Limits Your Time to Take Legal Action Against the At-Fault Driver
It may not be immediately evident how serious your injuries are or how long you will struggle to heal and overcome them. However, if you connect with a law firm as soon as possible, we can advise you on when to begin your claim.
You should get started on your case quickly. Louisiana statute CC Art. 3492 generally offers only one year before you lose the right to take the case to trial. Some people have less time based on their case’s circumstances.
Learn More About Car Accident Settlements by Contacting Our Office Today
You can speak with Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers about your injuries and accident for free today during a consultation. We represent victims suffering ankle and foot pain after a car accident in Lafayette, New Orleans, Alexandria, Marksville, and surrounding parishes.
Call (337) 777-7777 to learn more during your free consultation. We are a contingency-fee personal injury firm; you will not pay any upfront fees for our representation.
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