You felt your shoulder wrench as your motorcycle slid across the pavement on I-95. Now, weeks after the crash, the pain persists despite physical therapy and medication. Your doctor mentioned possible surgery, but you're worried about medical costs and missing more work.
At The Mottley Law Firm, our Richmond motorcycle accident injury lawyers understand the physical, emotional, and financial burden of serious shoulder injuries. Truck and motorcycle accidents often cause significant trauma to the shoulder joint, potentially requiring surgical intervention and lengthy recovery periods. When considering your options after an accident, it's important to understand how surgical needs might affect your injury claim's value.
Common Shoulder Injuries From Virginia Traffic Accidents
Shoulder injuries rank among the most debilitating outcomes of serious vehicle crashes. The shoulder's complex structure makes it particularly vulnerable during high-impact collisions. The force transmitted through your body during a crash can damage several key shoulder components.
Torn Rotator Cuffs
Rotator cuff tears occur when the tendons connecting muscles to the shoulder bone separate, causing pain and limited mobility.
Labral Tears
Labral tears affect the cartilage rim surrounding your shoulder socket, often producing a catching sensation and instability in the joint. These injuries frequently result from the arm being pulled or pushed during a collision.
Dislocated Shoulders
Shoulder dislocations happen when the upper arm bone pops out of the shoulder socket. Imagine a 45-year-old Richmond driver who struck a guardrail after being T-boned by a commercial truck. His dislocated shoulder could require multiple surgeries and permanent work restrictions.
Bone Fractures
Shoulder fractures, including breaks to the clavicle, scapula, or humerus, typically result from direct impact with vehicle interiors or pavement during a crash. These injuries almost always require extended immobilization and sometimes surgical repair.
Why Truck Accidents Often Cause Surgical Shoulder Injuries
When an 80,000-pound commercial truck collides with a 4,000-pound passenger car on I-64, the smaller vehicle occupants experience extreme forces. Even a relatively low-speed impact can cause the driver to brace against the steering wheel, transferring energy directly to the shoulder joint.
The sudden deceleration in truck accidents can also cause occupants to be thrown against seat belts or door frames. An accident victim sideswiped by a delivery truck could suffer a severe proximal humerus fracture from impact with the door. Their injury could require open reduction internal fixation surgery with plates and screws.
Commercial truck accidents also create dangerous scenarios where smaller vehicles may roll over or be pushed into other objects. These secondary impacts often cause multiple-point shoulder trauma that's more likely to require surgical repair.
Motorcycle Accidents and Severe Shoulder Trauma
Without the protective shell of a vehicle, motorcycle riders absorb direct impact forces during accidents. The instinctive reaction to extend an arm during a fall can result in a combination of injuries, including rotator cuff tears, shoulder separations, and broken collarbones.
High-speed motorcycle ejections can result in powerful impacts with guardrails, roadside objects, or pavement. These direct blows frequently cause comminuted fractures, where the bone breaks into multiple fragments, requiring surgical reconstruction with hardware.
How Surgery Affects Your Virginia Injury Claim Value
When a shoulder injury requires surgery, the value of your personal injury claim can increase significantly. Surgical shoulder repair can cost upwards of $50,000 or more, including hospital fees, surgeon costs, anesthesia, and follow-up care. This doesn't include extensive physical therapy over three to six months post-op.
Virginia follows the pure contributory negligence rule, meaning if you're found even 1% at fault for the accident, you may be barred from recovering any compensation. This makes thorough documentation and strong legal representation especially important in personal injury claims.
The permanent effects of shoulder surgery are also a factor in compensation calculations. Many patients never regain their full range of motion or strength after surgical repair. This permanent impairment could potentially limit their future earning capacity and enjoyment of activities.
Documenting Your Shoulder Injury for Maximum Compensation
Proper documentation creates the foundation for a successful shoulder injury claim after a truck or motorcycle accident. Virginia's two-year statute of limitations means you must act promptly.
- Follow all medical recommendations and attend every scheduled appointment. Gaps in treatment can be used by insurance companies to claim your injury isn't serious or wasn't caused by the accident.
- Keep a detailed journal documenting your daily pain levels, limitations, and how the injury affects your life. Note specific activities you can no longer perform or that cause significant pain.
- Take photographs of visible injuries, including bruising, swelling, and surgical scars. Visual evidence can be particularly persuasive in demonstrating the severity of your injury.
- Work with a Richmond personal injury attorney to build a comprehensive claim accounting for all your shoulder injury expenses and losses.
