Charleston WV Personal Injury Attorney – Torn ACLs
If you’ve ever experienced a torn ACL, you know how painful and extensive these injuries can be. A torn ACL often causes mobility limitations and pain and discomfort, and treatment for torn ACLs can include extensive and costly medical visits, physical therapy, and in some cases, surgery. ACL tears can come from a wide array of situations, including car accidents, slips and falls, work injuries, sports-related injuries and more. If you suffered a torn ACL as the result of someone else’s negligence, contact the leading Charleston WV personal injury attorney at the Love Law Firm today.
Causes and Symptoms of a Torn ACL
The most common knee injuries occur in the four main ligaments in the knee, including the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and lateral collateral ligament (LCL). An ACL injury, however, is very common and well-known, especially because it is often associated with sports-related injuries and professional athletes. Nonetheless, this type of injury can occur in a myriad of situations. Because a tear in the ACL can occur when the foot is planted and your leg stretches too far forward, you can sustain a torn ACL by simply changing directions too quickly or by taking a blow to your knee.
One of the first indications of an ACL tear is a “popping” sound or the feeling of a joint in your knee shifting. Often, this type of injury requires physical examination and sometimes medical imaging, such as through an MRI. In severe cases, ACL reconstruction surgery involves the use of other tissues to repair the ligament.
Determining the Settlement Value of an ACL Injury
If you had surgery or suffered a serious tear, you may need to take off several months of work for recovery and physical therapy. Furthermore, recovery from this injury entails costly medical visits, physical therapy, medical imaging costs, and surgery. As such, for individuals who sustained an ACL tear due to an accident caused by a negligent third party, then you may be entitled to compensation for the financial damages incurred.
In terms of the potential settlement in these cases, the specific dollar amount highly depends on the unique circumstances surrounding the case. Some damages, such as medical bills, are fairly concrete and easier to predict. Other damages, such as pain and suffering and loss of quality of life, are quite subjective. Furthermore, West Virginia follows a “comparative fault” rule, meaning that a percentage of the plaintiff’s (the injured victim) negligence in the injury reduces the overall settlement amount.
For example, if you were driving a car and talking on a cell phone, and didn’t see the other vehicle blow through the red light, then it’s obvious that the other party is at fault. However, because you were talking on the phone, the court may argue that you contributed about 15% to the accident. As such, the total settlement may be reduced by 15% due to your participation in the accident.
Contact the Love Law Firm in Downtown Charleston, WV
Torn ACLs can have a huge impact on your ability to participate in sports, stand for long periods of time, and enjoy continuous activity. Furthermore, even after ACL reconstruction surgery, the victim may experience some adverse conditions and limited mobility for years. This type of injury can be especially devastating for athletes. For this reason, if you’ve been in an accident or were injured due to the negligence of another individual, you need to contact attorney Charles M. Love, one of the leading personal injury attorneys in Charleston, WV. For a free, no-obligation consultation, call our downtown law firm today at (304) 344-5683.
