Miami Chest Injury Lawyer: Sean M. Cleary

Chest Trauma from Vehicle Collisions in Florida

Many Florida drivers and passengers suffer chest injuries in car accidents every year, which can be life-threatening. A vehicle collision generates extreme force that drives the chest into the seatbelt, steering wheel, dashboard, or airbags due to tremendous collision forces.

Over time, at The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary, we have dealt with multiple cases of chest injuries resulting from car crashes. We have extensive experience in handling these cases to obtain the maximum compensation.

If you are unsure of a valid claim, contact our chest injury attorney Sean M. Cleary, and he will evaluate the circumstances of your case at no expense.

Vehicle Crash Scenarios Leading to Chest Trauma

Car accidents cause chest injuries directly due to the violent forces generated during collisions, as well as the occupants' interactions with the vehicle safety systems.

• During frontal impacts at high speeds, massive deceleration forces drive occupants forward into steering wheels, dashboards, and seatbelts. The chest absorbs a great deal of energy as the body continues moving forward while the vehicle stops, leading to severe internal injuries.
• Seatbelt-related injuries present a complex situation because the safety device that prevents ejection and death simultaneously concentrates immense forces across the chest. While seatbelts dramatically reduce overall mortality, they increase the risk of specific chest injuries due to this force concentration during sudden stops.
• A side-impact collision forces the chest to strike door panels, armrests, or side windows. Chest injuries caused by these crashes often result in asymmetrical injuries, and the heart may move violently within the chest.
• During rollover accidents, occupants are subject to multiple impacts and crushing forces. It is common for occupants of vehicles to strike the roof, side, or floor repeatedly, causing complex chest injuries.
• When an airbag deploys, smaller occupants or those sitting too close to the airbag may suffer chest injuries. Airbags can cause rib fractures or bruises because of the explosive force required to inflate quickly enough.

Severe Chest Injuries That Require Immediate Medical Intervention

Many types of chest injuries can result from car accidents, from painful, treatable conditions to life-threatening emergencies requiring immediate surgery:

• Pulmonary Contusion: The most common type of blunt chest trauma, occurring in 25% to 35% of cases, with approximately 70% resulting from motor vehicle accidents. Lung bruises cause swelling, bleeding, and dangerously low oxygen levels in the blood.
• Flail Chest: The condition causes the victim to have a floating chest segment caused by multiple fractured ribs. Approximately 76% of flail chest cases are caused by vehicle collisions, with mortality rates ranging from 10% to 25%.
• Pneumothorax: When air leaks into the chest cavity, a collapsed lung can result in complete respiratory failure. It is often necessary to insert an emergency chest tube to save the life of someone with this condition.
• Hemothorax: When blood builds up between the lung and chest wall, the lung can become compressed, resulting in shock if the condition is not treated immediately.
• Sternal Fractures: Fractures of the breastbone occur in 5% to 8% of people who suffer significant blunt chest injuries, and in about 3% of people who suffer auto accidents. These injuries can cause chronic pain and breathing difficulties for a long time after they occur.
• Myocardial Contusion: Heart muscle bruises can cause irregular heartbeats, heart failure, or cardiac arrest, requiring intensive cardiac monitoring.
• Multiple Rib Fractures: The fracture of a rib can result in excruciating pain and puncture other organs. Flail chest occurs in approximately one out of every thirteen hospitalized patients with fractured ribs.

Evidence That Builds Winning Chest Injury Cases

Since chest injuries often involve subtle but significant functional limitations, standard medical records are often not sufficient to prove a successful claim. We work with pulmonary function specialists to document reduced lung capacity, exercise intolerance, and breathing difficulties that may not be apparent during routine medical examinations.

In cases of chest trauma that result in heart damage or rhythm disturbances, cardiac evaluation becomes critical. In order to document both current heart function and future cardiac risk, we work with cardiologists who can perform stress tests, imaging studies, and long-term monitoring.

In chest injury cases, day-in-the-life documentation is especially valuable, since these injuries affect everyday activities that healthy people take for granted. Medical testimony alone may not be enough to prove that a victim has difficulty breathing during everyday activities. Video evidence may be more persuasive.

Workplace evaluations can show how chest injuries affect earnings capacity, especially for people in physically demanding occupations. An occupational specialist can determine whether victims may be able to return to their previous employment or whether they need to undergo vocational retraining for less demanding jobs.

Fighting Insurance Company Tactics in Chest Injury Claims

Many insurance companies minimize chest injury claims by pointing out that victims didn't require immediate surgery after accidents or walked away. It is possible for them to argue that any breathing difficulties existed prior to the accident, or were caused by conditions unrelated to the accident.

In chest injury cases, pre-existing conditions are often disputed, especially when victims are older or have respiratory difficulties. Insurance companies hire a medical expert to examine chest X-rays, breathing medications, and respiratory complaints. There are some chest injury symptoms that may not appear until later on in the healing process, which allows insurance companies to claim that the injury was caused by something else. An aggressive legal response from an experienced chest injury attorney is essential, as well as expert medical testimony that explains the gradual deterioration of chest trauma.

There are many settlement pressure tactics that target victims of chest injuries who have mounting medical bills and lost wages, and who cannot return to work because of breathing problems. Initially, insurance companies may offer reasonable settlements, but fail to account for long-term medical needs and diminished earning capacity.