Dealing With Hip Pain After a Car Accident

Injuries to the lower half of the body account for about one-third of crash injuries.

Hip pain is common after a car accident and can range in severity from a dull ache to intense joint pain. Also, hip pain may not be fully apparent right away. People routinely dismiss their discomfort as some expected soreness after a car accident, only to feel worse days and weeks later. But you have legal rights and may be entitled to compensation for related damages.

If you’re experiencing hip pain after a car accident, you should consult an Ohio car accident lawyer to discuss your options. In Ohio, contact us online or call KNR for a free, no-obligation case evaluation: 1-800-HURT-NOW

Common Car-Related Hip Injuries

Car crashes can cause various hip injuries, ranging from nuisances to life-altering. Some may take time to heal, while others require physical therapy or surgery.

Hip injuries can be found in the thigh, groin, hip joint, buttocks, back, and legs. You could have an injury if you experience a loss of movement, limping, swelling, tenderness, or difficulty moving.

Keep an eye out for these injuries after a car crash:

• Acetabular Fracture: a break in the bone of the hip socket; it’s a severe injury requiring immediate medical attention by a specialist.
• Bursitis is the painful inflammation of the bursae, fluid-filled sacs that reduce friction between the hip and pelvis. Symptoms of bursitis also include swelling, tenderness, or loss of movement.
• Hip Fracture: often called a broken hip, a fracture results when the hip sustains a significant level of trauma, like the impact of the knees hitting the car’s dashboard in a crash. The hipbone has three sections, and a fracture can occur in any part, depending on the angle and force of the trauma.
• Hip Dislocation: when the ball of the hip bone leaves the socket, it becomes dislocated. This kind of injury requires immediate medical care.
• Tendonitis usually happens due to repetitive motion or if the hip is used too much, but it can also occur after a sudden injury. This injury affects the tissue connecting the muscle to the hip bone. Anyone affected may experience pain and loss of motion.

What Are The Symptoms/Signs of a Hip Injury

The signs of a hip injury depend on the problem. Hip discomfort after a car accident is common, and pain can spread to the thighs, buttocks, or legs. The pain can be sharp, dull, or achy. Other symptoms include joint stiffness, decreased range of motion, and a popping or locking of the joint.

The signs of a hip fracture include:

• Inability to get up
• Severe hip/groin pain
• Inability to put weight on the leg on the side of the injured hip
• Bruising and swelling around the hip
• Shorter leg on the side of the injured hip
• Outward turning of the leg on the side of the injured hip

Delayed Hip Injuries

It can take time for hip injuries to manifest after a car wreck fully. Someone may initially dismiss a dull ache only to feel the effects of bursitis later. Or an individual may not notice their hip fracture until after adrenaline wears off.  Unfortunately, when people wait to seek medical care, it only increases their suffering, the odds of complications, and possible infection.

Putting off medical treatment after a hip injury can also hurt your ability to recover compensation. Medical documentation about your injury and its severity is always helpful evidence in a personal injury claim. Plus, Ohio has a statute of limitations. In most cases, you have two years from the date of the accident that caused your hip injury to file a claim. In some cases, you can still file if you did not become aware of your hip injury until later.

As you can see, a severe impact, such as a car crash, can cause hip fractures in people of all ages. The risk of severe injury and possible complications also increases with age. Therefore, if you are experiencing any hip pain after an auto collision, it’s best to have it evaluated by a doctor. Once you’ve received a proper diagnosis, you can better plan your physical and financial recovery.

Complications Of A Hip Injury

A hip fracture almost always requires surgical repair or replacement, followed by physical therapy. And while a broken or dislocated hip can heal with time, long-term complications may present themselves. When hip fractures prevent movement for long periods, complications can include:

• Blood clots in the legs or lungs
• Bedsores
• Pneumonia
• Further loss of muscle mass, increasing the risk of falls and injuries
• Death

The most common type of long-term hip injury is traumatic arthritis. In some cases, traumatic arthritis can lead to excruciating hip pain and lack of function, resulting in the need for total hip replacement surgery.

Hip problems might affect mobility for some patients. Those problems can affect the ability to perform specific jobs – especially those requiring a great deal of standing and walking – and may require physical therapy.

Hip Injury Treatment & Costs

Just as each crash and its circumstances are unique, so are the treatments and recovery periods for hip injuries. You may require surgery to replace your hip, neurological treatment, or exercise therapy. These costs and losses can accumulate quickly, and victims of car accidents that cause hip pain may pursue damages from the liable party.

Your treatment costs and future medical costs could be paid with money through an insurance claim or settlement.

Who’s Liable for a Hip Injury?

If your accident resulted from someone else’s negligent actions, that party might be liable for your hip injury.

According to Ohio Revised Code, negligence occurs when someone acts outside of what would be considered normal or reasonable behavior and someone else is injured or killed.

For instance, someone is negligent if they drive through an intersection without stopping for the red light and strike another vehicle. It would be assumed a typical driver would stop and obey traffic signals.

Damages & Compensation for Hip Injuries

If negligent behavior can be proven, the driver can be held responsible and ordered to pay for damages and medical expenses the crash created. If you are in a collision and the other driver is liable for your resulting hip injury, you may be able to recover compensation for the following:

• Medical expenses to treat your hip injury and any pain that results
• Future medical expenses to provide care
• Any lost wages related to the recovery period
• Loss of earning capacity related to poor mobility from the hip injury
• Pain and suffering

Speak with an Ohio Car Accident Attorney

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, sustained a hip injury, or are experiencing hip pain, speak with an Ohio personal injury attorney today. An attorney helps you prove the accident caused your hip injury and that the other driver’s negligent actions were the cause of the accident.

At Kisling, Nestico & Redick, we know what it takes to exercise your rights following an auto accident. To start filing your claim today, call us at 1-800-HURT-NOW or use our contact form.