Damaged Breast Implant Injury Lawyer | Texas Car Accidents
When women with breast implants are involved in serious car accidents there is a significant risk of implant rupture or implant displacement. Seat belts, airbags, or the body itself can exert extreme force on the implant whether you were driving, a passenger, or a pedestrian in the car accident. Damaged breast implants are a serious medical issue with very real consequences for a woman’s physical and mental health.
If you suffered breast implant injuries in an automobile collision, contact attorney Brit Mitchell today. Brit Mitchell is a Texas breast implant injury lawyer that handles implant ruptures caused by car accidents. Brit Mitchell has compassion for the physical pain and emotional turmoil you may be experiencing and it shows in her results. Ask to speak with Brit Mitchell directly by calling 866-434-0014 for a free and confidential consultation.
Brit Mitchell will help you hold the distracted driver liable for how the auto accident has impacted your life. Whether your were injured in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, or elsewhere in Texas, we can help. As always, consultations are free and you pay nothing until we win for you. Our law firm has four convenient office located throughout the State Texas and also makes home or hospital visits.
Do I have a right to pursue legal action if a car accident damaged my breast implants?
Under Texas law, breast implants are treated exactly like any other body part. That means you have a right to pursue compensation for your breast implant injuries and related medical bills. An experienced Houston car accident attorney will know how to prove that your breast implant rupture or displacement resulted from your accident. In order to prove this you must show either a) that you had few or no symptoms of injury to your breast implants prior to the accident or b) that if you did suffer from some level of implant damage, the damage was worsened by the accident. The latter scenario is known as aggravation or exacerbation of a pre-existing condition, for which you can also receive full compensation under Texas law.
Women whose implants were damaged during a car accident can recover the cost of medical bills related to the implant, including imaging, mental and physical therapy, and necessary surgery or advanced medical therapy. If you or a loved one is looking for a breast implant injury lawyer, contact us today.
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Signs of saline breast implants damage after a Texas car accident
Signs of silicone implants damage after a Texas car accident
What other injuries are common in cases involving damaged implants?
What must be proven to receive compensation for breast implant injuries?
What types compensation can be recovered in Texas car accidents?
Dealing with damaged implants in Texas auto accidents
The symptoms of a ruptured breast implant can vary depending on whether the implant is silicone or saline as silicone implants typically leak more slowly than their saline counterparts. A rupture means that a tear or break in the implant lining has compromised the integrity of the implant. The silicone or saline then leaks causing deflation, breast tissue atrophy, extrusion, or inflammation. Leaks from the implant also into the body, causing symptoms such as pain, discomfort, skin rash, and even severe autoimmune reactions.
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether or not an implant has ruptured. That’s why our Texas personal injury lawyers recommend that you visit your primary medical provider following your car accident and ask them about your implants, even if you aren’t feeling any symptoms. Bruising on the chest from the seatbelt or airbag increases the likelihood that your implants were damaged.
If you can, make an appointment with the surgeon who originally performed your breast augmentation surgery. Request imaging of your implants with an MRI, CT, or ultrasound. Advanced imaging is the only reliable way to fully assess damage to your implants following your accident.
Signs of saline ruptures after a Texas car accident
When a saline implant ruptures or its valve fails after sustaining blunt forces during an auto accident, the saline generally leaks out very fast — typically within 24 hours or a few days — causing the breast to appear deflated, making it very east to detect. The salt water is absorbed by the body and generally does not cause additional complications.
Signs of silicone damage after a Texas car accident
Ruptures of silicone breast implants may be more difficult to notice as you may experience a “silent” rupture without any noticeable symptoms. This happens when the capsule of scar tissue surrounding the implant contains the leaking silicone gel.
Should the silicone gel escape the collagen fiber capsule, you may experience symptoms such as:
New lumps in the breast, chest wall, armpit, arm, or abdomen
Diminished breast size
Displacement
Hard knots in breasts
Uneven or asymmetrical appearance of the breasts
Pain or tenderness
Sagging
Chest wall deformity
Visibility of the implant
Wrinkling or Rippling
Tingling
Swelling
Numbness
Burning
Other changes in sensation or sensitivity
Doctors detect ruptures using a mammogram, CT scan, ultrasound, or MRI. Mammograms themselves may cause ruptures due to the pressure involved, and are the least accurate. Magnetic response imaging (MRI) is the most precise method to determine if a rupture occurred.
What is implant displacement?
Car accidents may also cause breast implant displacement. Displacement occurs when the implant breaks through the collagen fiber capsule surrounding it and shifts in and out of the pocket.
There are several different types of displacement, including:
Lateral displacement. The implants shift sideways, towards the armpits. This occurs when the implants shift outwards towards the armpit.
Bottoming out. The implants shift downwards. Often, this displacement is accompanied by a shift in the position of the nipple so that it sits abnormally high on the breast mound.
High riding. The implants shift upwards.
Ruptures often cause the damaged breasts to shrink or take on asymmetrical shapes. Displacement also alters the appearance of the breasts. It may cause one breast to sit higher than the other or take on an unnatural angle. The best thing to do following a car accident is talk about your implants with your medical provider, even if you do not think they have suffered any damage.
What is the corrective surgery for augmentation disfigurement?
A saline or silicone gel implant must be surgically removed following a rupture. Sometimes, the plastic surgeon must also remove the capsule of scar tissue surrounding the implant. Additionally, surgeons will typically remove both implants even if only one was ruptured. Finally, the surgeon will also remove any silicone that has leaked beyond your scar-tissue capsule.
Surgeons can typically insert new implants during the same surgery if you elect to replace your damaged ones. Sometimes, the surgeon may recommend that you switch to a different type of implant or have your breast(s) reconstructed with tissue taken from elsewhere on your body. This procedure removes the risk of future ruptures, but is more complex operations with an extensive recovery period.
How much does it cost to repair damaged any disfigurement?
The cost of implant replacement is actually higher than when breast implants are being removal. The cost associated includes initial implant removal and then replacement implants, along with any related procedures. Most plastic surgeons in Texas also require that they fix both breast implants to create uniformity, even when only one suffered a rupture or leak. Although the cost of breast implants might only range from $6,000 to $10,000 dollars when paying out of pocket, the costs of a surgical facility must also be compensated for, requiring an insurance company to pay an additional sum of around $15,000 to $20,000, or more.
When representing women across Texas that have suffered damaged breast implants in auto accidents, our injury lawyers make sure that we have our clients visit with the best plastic and cosmetic surgeons in the city where our client was injured, and fight to ensure their complete cost is accounted for in the personal injury settlement.
What other injuries are common in car accident injuries?
When women suffer breast implant damage during an auto accident it is most often due to the women's body hitting the steering wheel or airbag. In auto accidents in which the a blunt force impacts the chest a victim commonly experiences the following related injuries or symptoms.
Whiplash - Whiplash or "whip effect" is a neck that results from a forceful, rapid back and forth movement of the neck during a car accident in Texas. Although whiplash commonly occurs in rear-end or front-end collisions, it can happen in any forceful or moderately forceful vehicle collision.
Shoulder or Rotator Cuff Injuries - The shoulder or rotator cuff includes the many tendons and muscle gatherings in the joint or "ball" of the shoulder. This region is delicate and often damages in accidents where the seatbelt locks to protect the victim, placing immense strain on the joint area. Injuries often include rotator cuff tears, stiff shoulder, tendon or ligament tears, or joint separation.
Crush Injury Lawyer - In car accidents that cause a women's body to hit the steering wheel or collides with the airbag or another parts of the vehicle, the immense pressure causes severe compression to the direct tissue. This traumatic injury often results in organ dysfunction, renal failure, hypothermia, skin injury and swelling, paralysis, or acute lung injury.
Brain Injuries - A brain injuries, or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), occurs in serious car accidents due to a victim's head usually hitting a window, the headrest, the steering wheel, or the airbag in case where the airbag deploys. Brain injuries are never easy to identify. For this reason, you need personal injury firm that specializes in head trauma.
Broken Bones - The most common bones damaged in vehicular accidents includes the spinal vertebra (neck and back), pelvic bones, fibula, skill, facial bones, and sternum (breast plate). Although an MRI is needed to detect injuries such as bulging disks or herniated disk, the initial x-ray performed at an emergency facility is able to detect broken bones and fractures. Types of breaks and fractures include commuted fractures, hairline, traverse, and oblique breaks.
Additional injuries that often occur personal injury accidents include; spinal cord injuries, amputations, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and scarring and disfigurement.
If you need a Texas lawyer that handles damaged breast implants and similar injuries, call Brit Mitchell. Brit Mitchell is who women turn to after suffering serious motor vehicle accidents and she regularly secured maximum compensation for the women she represents. Brit Mitchell comes form a medical background and family of plastic surgeons which provides her a unique understanding of the complications involved when women suffer serious personal injuries.
Being Hit By A Car Often Causes Breast Implant Injuries
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 100,000 pedestrians are injured in non-fatal motor vehicle accidents each year and necessitate emergency medical treatment. This number includes joggers, bicyclists, children, and commuters. Unfortunately, because most people hit my cars often suffer injury to their chests and abdominal areas, women with breast implants and augmentation are at an increased wrist of suffering damage to their breast implants.
It does take much force to damage a breast implants, and signs that silicone implants have ruptured include changes in shape and size, increasing pain, decreased firmness, swelling over a period of weeks. Silicone implants damaged in car accidents might now show noticeable symptoms, this is also called a “silent rupture."
An emergency room can conduct the imaging necessary to determine if you suffered damage to your breast implants after an auto accident here in Texas. It never hurts to be on the safe side and have the scan performed, even if you don't feel or see any symptoms after the crash.
What must be proven to receive compensation?
When bringing a claim with the negligent driver’s insurance company here in Texas, the victim has the burden of establishing your right to compensation for your injuries. To prove liability and win a car wreck case, you will need to show:
The other driver had a legal duty to use reasonable care on the road.
The other driver was negligent by operating their car unsafely.
The other driver’s caused the wreck.
You were physically damaged by the driver’s negligence.
If you were partially at-fault in causing the auto accident, then Texas law still allows you to recover a portion of the damages as long as you were not more than 50% at fault in causing the collision.
What types of compensation can be recovered in an Texas Auto accident claims?
When our clients suffer damaged breast implants they also often suffer additional injuries and can secure additional compensation. Some of these accident-related items include monetary costs, called economic damages. The types of damages that cannot be easily valued are known as non-economic damages.
Economic damages are as follows:
Hospital costs
Physician bills
Rehabilitation costs
Medical costs
Procedure and surgical costs
Lost wages
Economic impacts
Property damage and replacement
Disability
Non-economic damages can include:
Pain and suffering
Emotional trauma
Loss of consortium damages
Loss of enjoyment
Wrongful death expenses, including funeral and burial costs
In certain Texas auto accident cases, such as those involving commercial vehicles and 18-wheelers, punitive damages are also available. Punitive damages, also called "exemplary damages" are damages meant to financially punish bad behavior and discourage the company from engaging in similar actions moving forward. Punitive damages not available in every situation, but an experienced Texas personal auto accident attorney can evaluate the claim and inform you of the types of compensation available in your situation.
Texas Breast Implant Injury Lawyers
Serious car accidents result in injuries to many parts of the human body. You may be entitled to compensation for your damaged or ruptured breast implants, just like any other personal injury accident that occurs here in Texas.
Attorney Brit Mitchell specializes in injury claims for women and understand that pursuing legal action following an implant injury can be a delicate matter. But you deserve justice as much as anyone else, and our Texas personal injury attorneys have the expertise and the resources to assist you with your insurance claim and your recovery. Call attorney Brit Mitchell today at 866-434-0014 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss pursuing a claim for your breast implant injuries.
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