Average Settlement for Broken Sternum

Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about the bones and cartilage that make up our bodies. Of course, when we suffer an injury to one of our body parts, we become all too aware of it. This is particularly true when it comes to an often-overlooked part of our chest: the sternum.

Also known as the breastbone, the sternum plays an important role in protecting our organs. The sternum may fracture due to trauma, such as in a car accident. If you have suffered a broken sternum in an accident, our Long Island personal injury lawyers will fight to get you financial compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses.

Based in Melville, The Odierno Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyers represent accident victims throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties in New York. We work hard to help our clients get top-dollar settlements for their injuries and never charge a fee unless we recover money for you. Reach out to our law offices today to schedule a free initial consultation with a Long Island car accident attorney.

What Is a Fractured Sternum?

The sternum, or breastbone, is a flat, T-shaped bone that sits at the center of your chest. It is part of your rib cage. Together with your ribs, the sternum protects the organs inside your chest, including your heart, lungs, stomach, esophagus, and blood vessels. 

The sternum connects to other parts of the skeletal system through cartilage, providing support to the skeletal system. Approximately 6 inches in length, it consists of 3 parts:

1. The manubrium is the wide top portion of the breastbone. Your collarbone sits on the manubrium. The first set of ribs attaches to the sternum through the manubrium, while the second set of ribs attaches at the bottom edge of the manubrium.
2. The body of the sternum is the center of the bone. The third through seventh sets of ribs attach to the sternum.
3. The xiphoid process is the pointed end piece of the sternum that sits along the bottom. While it is mostly made of cartilage, it calcifies and turns to bone as you age.

Sternum fractures can occur when you break your sternum. This usually happens through blunt force trauma, typically through car accidents. A broken sternum can also be the result of a sports injury or a fall.

There are 2 types of sternum fractures. A direct fracture occurs when there is a blow to the front of the chest wall, causing a break further back in the chest. An indirect fracture happens when the sternum is hurt in a way that causes a break closer to the front of the chest.

If you have a broken sternum, you might notice chest pain that gets worse when you cough or take a deep breath. There may also be tenderness, swelling, and bruises along the front of your chest. In addition, you might have shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

When a sternum fractures due to direct trauma, the underlying heart and lung tissue may also be damaged. If the sternum fails to heal properly, it can lead to complications. This is known as pseudarthrosis, or a false joint. This condition may require surgery to correct and is more common in older adults, people with diabetes, and people who are currently taking steroids.

For mild sternal fractures, the treatment might just be rest, along with ice and medication to manage the pain and swelling. More severe broken sternums may require surgery. During an operation, an orthopedic surgeon will put your breastbone back into the proper position.

Typically, a person can recover from a broken sternum within a few months (about 10 weeks). However, if you had surgery, then the recovery time may be significantly longer. You may also require physical therapy if you experience stiffness in your arms, shoulders, and spine that does not go away over time.

While broken sternums do heal over time, they can be incredibly painful. A fractured sternum can also limit your ability to work or take care of yourself. If you have suffered a broken sternum through a car accident or other type of accident, our Long Island personal injury attorneys will fight to help you get maximum compensation for your losses.

Average Compensation for a Broken Sternum

In a personal injury case, you may be entitled to three types of compensation: economic, non-economic, and punitive damages. In most cases, you will recover economic and non-economic damages, which are referred to as compensatory damages. Punitive damages are awarded in more unusual cases involving intentional or reckless conduct.

If you broke your sternum in a car accident or a slip and fall, you will likely recover economic damages for your direct financial losses. This may include money for your:

• Property damage
• Medical bills
• Future medical care
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity

For example, consider a situation where you suffered a severe sternal fracture in a car crash, and you had to have surgery to repair it. You were off work for 4 months and had substantial medical bills. Your economic damages will cover these losses, along with other losses (such as repairs to your vehicle).

Non-economic damages pay for your indirect losses. These types of losses are harder to quantify, since you won’t get a bill, invoice, or paystub in the mail to document them. Yet they are just as important as economic damages when it comes to a full recovery.

Non-economic damages may include money for your emotional distress, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, scarring, and disfigurement. If you spent months in pain because your chest hurt every time you coughed or took a deep breath, you should be compensated for that. A skilled Long Island personal injury lawyer will use their experience and knowledge of similar cases to build a strong case for non-economic damages.

Finally, punitive damages may be awarded in cases involving intentional or reckless behavior, such as a drunk driving accident. Punitive damages are a bit different from compensatory damages because the goal is to punish a wrongdoer rather than compensate an injury victim. During a free initial consultation, our legal team will advise you about the possibility of seeking punitive damages based on the facts of your case.

Any settlement for a sternum fracture should include money for all of your losses, including both economic and non-economic damages. Unfortunately, insurance companies often try to minimize the amount of money that they pay out to accident victims. They typically use computer programs to spit out a number based on an adjuster’s opinion of the seriousness of your injuries. This settlement number is often far below the true value of your case.

Our job as Long Island car accident attorneys is to fight for our clients’ right to full compensation. We won’t simply accept a lowball settlement offer. Instead, we will thoroughly investigate your case, look into potentially responsible parties, research New York law, and work with experts to put together the strongest possible case for compensation.

In this way, we are able to get fair settlements for our clients. These settlements reflect the true value of our clients’ losses. If the insurance company won’t offer a settlement that we think is right, we will take your case to trial and ask a jury to return a verdict in your favor.

As explained in greater detail below, there is no such thing as an average settlement when it comes to a broken sternum. There are many factors that can affect the value of a settlement, including the severity of your injuries and whether you have any lasting limitations as a result of the fracture. While we cannot guarantee results, we can promise you that our team of experienced Long Island personal injury attorneys will fight to get you the compensation that you deserve.

Factors That Influence the Value of Your Settlement

Every personal injury case is unique, which means that every settlement is different. One case involving a broken sternum may result in a $75,000 settlement, while another might lead to a $800,000 settlement. It all comes down to the facts and legal issues in the case.

As an initial matter, the severity of the injury is a key factor in the value of a case. If your broken sternum will heal on its own with just some rest, ice, and over-the-counter pain relievers, your settlement will likely be less than a case where a person required surgery to fix their broken sternum. 

Other factors related to your losses can also affect the value of your settlement. If you were out of work for a longer period of time and/or if you are permanently disabled from your fractured sternum, then the value of your case will be higher than that of a person who was only out of work for a few weeks. Similarly, if your accident was particularly traumatic, then your non-economic damages might be much higher compared to a case without those elements of mental distress.

Legal issues can also impact how much your broken sternum case is worth. If the at-fault party has state minimum car insurance, then the low policy limits will mean that you’ll get a smaller settlement than you potentially could have if they had a larger insurance policy. If you were partially at fault for the accident, then your total recovery may also be reduced by the percentage that you were to blame.

Personal injury settlements are complex and dynamic. While it is possible to look at other cases and get a general idea of how much a case is worth, those numbers can vary considerably based on the facts and legal issues in a case. Our job as Long Island personal injury lawyers is to fight to get you the most money for your accident under New York law. 

This brings us to one of the biggest factors that can influence your settlement: the quality of your legal representation. Simply put, insurance companies are more likely to offer fair compensation when they know that you have a smart, capable attorney by your side. When the insurer knows that your lawyer is ready, willing, and able to take your case to trial – and win – they are more motivated to settle the case and offer a good settlement.

The Odierno Law Firm has decades of combined experience getting high-value settlements for our clients. We won’t back down from a fight and will keep advocating for you to get the money that you are entitled to under the law. Best of all, you’ll never pay a fee unless we recover money for you.

Hurt in an Accident?  Reach Out for a Free Consultation.

A broken sternum can be painful and slow to heal. If you suffered a sternal fracture in a car accident or fall, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party. Our law firm can help you get the highest possible settlement for your injuries.

At The Odierno Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyers, we are dedicated to helping our clients recover maximum compensation for their injuries. We are skilled at putting together evidence and legal arguments to help our clients get justice. To learn more or to schedule a free initial consultation with a Long Island car accident lawyer, call us at 631-973-6221 or fill out our online contact form.