You have an 80% chance of suffering a head or chest injury in a California car accident. The Department of Transportation reports that 8 in 10 car crashes involve head and thoracic damage, including bruised sternums and chest injuries.
Some of these injuries are more obvious than others. A broken rib often has focused and intense pain, while the symptoms of a bruised sternum can be more subtle and hard to detect.
Would you know if you had a chest injury? Would you know how to seek compensation for it? Below, we’ll share the most common symptoms, the typical recovery time, and helpful information about seeking the compensation you need to cover your medical bills and other damages.
How to Know if You Have a Bruised Sternum
During a car accident, a bruise on the sternum usually happens from a sudden impact with the steering wheel, dashboard, or even the seatbelt itself. Airbags are designed to protect you, but they can also cause this type of injury but they sometimes cause devastating damage.
Never self-diagnose!See a doctor immediately and describe any symptoms you’ve experienced since the crash.
Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore:
Chest pain that increases and decreases throughout the day
Discomfort or extreme pain while coughing, breathing, or moving
Feeling a sensation of hot skin on the chest
Inability to twist the torso without pain
Intense or radiating pain centered on the breastbone
Running a fever
Skin discoloration or tenderness
Unexplained low blood pressure or blood loss
How Long Does a Bruised Sternum Last?Â
The typical bruised sternum heal time is a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks. More severe cases take 4 to 6 weeks or more. Your doctor may recommend different treatments depending on your specific injury.
How Do You Know if a Chest Injury is Serious?
Take any chest injury symptoms seriously, especially if they interfere with breathing or circulation. If you have chest tenderness, are experiencing pain while twisting or moving, are fainting, or feel cracking, creaking, or popping in the chest, you may have a chest injury. Go to the emergency room if you have urgent symptoms like trouble breathing, sudden/severe loss of blood pressure, or loss of consciousness.
Is Your Chest Injury Serious?
Any chest pain after an accident should be taken seriously, especially if it affects your breathing. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
Tenderness
Focused or dispersed chest pain
Discomfort or pain while twisting, bending, coughing, or moving
Noises like popping or cracking in the chest
Stiffness or soreness in nearby areas, like the neck or spine
Trouble breathing
Blood pressure changes
Difficulty walking
Loss of consciousness
Types of Chest Injuries
You may have broken ribs, which can be surprisingly difficult to detect without proper diagnostic investigation and imaging studies. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that up to 25% of rib fractures don’t show up on initial X-rays and require thorough physical examinations from trained doctors.
Some car accident survivors believe they only have minimal sternal bruising until a doctor diagnoses them with a much more severe thoracic condition known as flail chest. Flail chest occurs when ribs are broken in several places, interfering with steady respiration and causing trouble breathing.
Pain when laughing or coughing can indicate a chest wall injury. You could have a chest injury like a chest wall burn, which is a surface-level abrasion, usually red or burned-looking, that indicates a much deeper underlying chest contusion that would be invisible to the naked eye. It’s a serious condition that requires a diagnosis from a specialist like a trauma surgeon or thoracic surgeon.
Treatment for chest injuries may include:
Rest
Immobilization
Activity restriction
Painkillers
Topical treatments
Follow-up ultrasounds and X-rays
Supplemental oxygen
Blood transfusion
Surgery
The most severe chest injuries require advanced treatment and may take many months to heal, particularly if additional diagnostic tests show your health situation is more serious than it seemed at first. Some types of underlying damage can take time to develop enough to be detectable.
Certain chest injury patients need supplemental oxygen or blood transfusions. You may also need additional chest wall ultrasounds, targeted physical therapy, or even follow-up surgery to address the full scope of your chest injuries.
Costochondritis: A Common Misdiagnosis
It’s important to note that chest pain after an accident can also be caused by costochondritis, an inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone. This condition can cause similar symptoms to a bruised sternum, such as chest pain, discomfort when breathing, and tenderness to the touch. A proper medical evaluation can differentiate between these conditions.
How to Seek Compensation for Chest Injuries
Chest injuries can be quite severe, impacting your breathing, mobility, and ability to live a full and active lifestyle. Paradoxically, the people around you can’t necessarily see your chest injury, so they might not realize how much you’re suffering.
There’s no need to suffer in silence. If someone hurt you in a car accident and created chaos in your life, you have legal options to pursue compensation. California law supports the rights of injured people to seek payment from those who hurt them in car accidents. Liable individuals and insurance companies are often reluctant to offer compensation until you hire an experienced lawyer to make a strong case they can’t deny.
Related Legal Considerations
Understanding your legal rights after a car accident involving a chest injury is crucial. Here are some key points to keep in mind:
Statute of Limitations: In California, you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. It’s essential to act promptly to avoid missing this deadline, as doing so may bar you from recovering any compensation.
Types of Damages: You can seek compensation for various damages, including:
Economic Damages: These are quantifiable losses like:
Medical expenses (past and future)
Lost wages and lost earning capacity
Property damage to your vehicle
Non-Economic Damages: These are less tangible but equally important, such as:
Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Loss of enjoyment of life
Comparative Negligence: California follows a “pure comparative negligence” rule. This means that even if you were partly at fault for the accident, you can still recover compensation. However, your award will be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault. For example, if you were found 20% at fault, your compensation would be reduced by 20%.
At Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re a team of car accident lawyers with decades of combined experience helping our clients secure high-value awards in chest injury cases. We can help you gather evidence of your injuries and expand the value of your case to include the significant worth of your mental anguish, ongoing therapy costs, lost wages, property damage, and more.
Call 877-380-8852 today and request a free case evaluation. We’re here to support your recovery and minimize your stress as you heal from your chest injuries.
When I got into my accident I was really not looking for an attorney, however I became frustrated with the other parties insurance company. I then went online and found Sally Morin Law and called for a free courtesy consult. Annie quickly called me back and spent 30 minutes explaining the attorney process. This made my decision easy,,, an All female attorney group certainly did not disappoint. Annie and her team (Amber) were on the case immediately, making calls, sending emails and dealing with the other party insured (or lack of insured). I’m so pleased to have had this incredible team of ladies to help me through this process. They did all their professional expertise, none of which I was capable of. They advocated for me in every way from medical bills, insurance liens, med pay, demand letters, phone calls, emails etc. All I needed to do was send receipts, and most importantly focus on getting better. Thank u team for all u have done. I am grateful for so much,,, and I can say that making that first phone call was the best decision. Keep up the great work and helping others
Sincerely
KJJ
I unfortunately got injured in an auto accident and called a bunch of different attorneys with little to no help. I called Sally Morin Law and got help from Rebecca who was absolutely fantastic. She was there every step of the way to help and Isn’t just trying to make a quick buck. She took her time with me and went out of her way to help out. Thanks for all the help Rebecca!!
I was t-boned by someone who ran a red light, totaling my car and sending me to the hospital with multiple breaks to my pelvis, among other smaller injuries. Once released from the hospital, I was confused, angry, and extremely anxious about what to do next. A friend encouraged me to seek legal help, and I found the team at Sally Morin. I was drawn to their all-women team, and immediately felt assured that I was in good hands. They took the reigns on handling everything, leaving me significantly more relieved to rest and heal like my body needed. With their help, the case was settled within four months of the accident, and I can now move forward with my life and leave this behind me. I would absolutely recommend the team at Sally Morin to anyone in a similar situation!
I was injured while riding my bicycle and a friend recommended Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers. In my experience, they made the process transparent and smooth, allowing me to focus on recovery — they were professional, empathetic, and effective! Rebecca and Carmen made a difficult time much less stressful.
My mom was in a car accident and was badly injured. We wanted her to focus on her recovery without the worries of medical bills and dealing with multiple insurance companies so we hired Sally Morin Lawyers. Fortunately we received Annie Heller who showed strong ownership of the case, dealing with all communications from medical to slow moving insurance companies. Annie and team helped us settle the case with money in my mom’s pocket, but more importantly helped all of us not worry about anything besides my mom’s recovery. thank you!
Carmen and team at Sally Morin are the best. Having Carmen and her team for my personal injury case is one of the lucky thing for me in 2024
Carmen is a very capable law professional. she is expert in her domain, also she is very skillful in finding the key information.
Carmen is also a compassionate and kind person, she listened and also put my interests in priority. At the same time she patiently explained to me the law information.
Carmen is also very good with execution, the whole process she is proactively driving it towards the satisfactory result
What more can you ask for a lawyer who is capable, professional, kind, effective and efficient.
I was very fortunate that, by pure luck, I found Sally Morin’s firm online. It wasn’t recommended to me by anyone, but I now want to recommend them to EVERYONE, especially my fantastic attorney, Annie Heller. Annie was compassionate, honest, attentive, and responsive to my calls and emails. Throughout the entire process of my claim, I felt completely supported by her, and even after my case was successfully settled, she followed up with me. Thank you Annie, for your exceptional legal service!!
Amazing! After months and months of going it alone and getting nowhere with our sons accident, and struggling...badly, we were lucky enough to get refered to Sally and Rebecca.
They took over the whole case and handled everything.
The whole team was very personable, professional, keeped us in the loop the entire time and cared about what was going on.
They also set us up with all the right people to make sure the settlement funds were properly handled in the most efficient way for us.
I just dont think we could have done all of this without them. It was a terrible time for our family, and we are very gratefull for everything they did for us! Thank you guys! ~HavasuLew
Rebecca and the Sally Morin team provided invaluable support during a challenging period after our daughter was involved in a car accident. Their care, expertise, and dedication resulted in an outcome that exceeded our highest expectations. Working with them was a great experience, and I wholeheartedly recommend their services to anyone, without hesitation!
I worked with Annie on my case and had such a pleasant experience! I felt supported and understood throughout the whole process. I highly recommend Sally Morin firm. Being injured isn't pleasant, so having a team behind you that's got your back makes the experience that much better.
I just spent the last 8 months working with a team of caring, compassionate, relatable women for my personal injury claim. Brief background: I was hit by a car while riding my bike to work. The driver pulled out of a parallel parking space without looking and was completely at fault. Initially, he and the others in the car were very concerned, but ghosted us afterwards and made up a story in order to not take on the blame. I ended up needing surgery and costs mounted, so I sought legal advice. After much research, I settled on Sally Morin Law. The team at this law firm is invested and responsive in a very personable way. I specifically worked with Carmen and Annie. Carmen took the lead and she answered every email, text, and annoying question my husband and I sent her way. She wrote a detailed demand letter that personalized my case and thoroughly explained the impact the accident had on my life, my children's lives, and my husband's life. In the end, our own insurance policy covered the claim to the fullest amount. Additionally, Carmen was able to negotiate the medical lien to $0, and my husband received a separate smaller amount for loss of consortium. We are more than happy with the results as it’s way beyond what we expected, and completely life changing. We didn't proceed with the case thinking we would have the outcome we did, and almost didn't pursue the case. However, after spending my own money on copays, days off from work, take out, uber rides, babysitters, and special equipment, it just didn't feel right not to seek help and I am so glad that I did! I highly recommend Sally Morin Law!
Last year me and my partner was in a MC/Car accident. I was clueless on what rights we had and how to proceed with insurance claims etc. I contacted Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, who guided us through the year long process in a very pedagogical manner, a lot of support, expertise and professionalism - answering any questions we had in a timely manner. Highly recommended, they made a painful experience very manageable. Thank you, Rebecca, Carmen, and Amber!
Posted on Yelp
Amy R.
Verified
I can't recommend Rebecca at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers more highly. Rebecca is transparent, honest, and client-centered in a way that was completely different from the other firms I considered. Rebecca broke down what can feel like a very opaque process, and helped me understand my options in an approachable way. It was immediately clear that Rebecca's advice and guidance centered around my personal best interest, not what would make her firm the most money. Thanks Rebecca and team!
Posted on Yelp
Mike B.
Verified
I unfortunately got injured in an auto accident and called a bunch of different attorneys with little to no help. I called Sally Morin Law and got help from Rebecca who was absolutely fantastic. She was there every step of the way to help and Isn't just trying to make a quick buck. She took her time with me and went out of her way to help out. Thanks for all the help Rebecca!!
Posted on Yelp
Shannon Y.
Verified
Carmen and team at Sally Morin are the best. Having Carmen and her team for my personal injury case is one of the lucky thing for me in 2024
Carmen is a very capable law professional. she is expert in her domain, also she is very skillful in finding the key information.
Carmen is also a compassionate and kind person, she listened and also put my interests in priority. At the same time she patiently explained to me the law information.
Carmen is also very good with execution, the whole process she is proactively driving it towards the satisfactory result
What more can you ask for a lawyer who is capable, professional, kind, effective and efficient.
Posted on Yelp
Dinora G.
Verified
I was very fortunate, and by pure luck, I found Sally Morin's firm on YELP. The firm wasn't recommended to me by anyone, but I now want to recommend them to EVERYONE, especially my fantastic attorney, Annie Heller. Annie was compassionate, honest, attentive and very responsive to my calls and emails. Throughout the entire process of my claim, I felt completely supported and even after my case successfully settled, she followed up with me. Thank you Annie for your exceptional legal service.
Posted on Yelp
Phil M.
Verified
Rebecca and the team at Sally Morin are awesome, plain and simple! Honestly, they were the only legal representation that didn't make me feel slimy after the first conversation. I was thrilled to work with them on my injury case after realizing it was more than I could handle dealing directly with the other party's insurance myself. They advocated for me and my family, going into incredible detail and crafting a great strategy for what to do next. The end result was a pleasant surprise, far exceeding my expectations.
Rebecca and the team definitely earn their share by providing amazing value. They're also no-pressure, which was refreshing compared to other lawyers I contacted before choosing Sally Morin. Their priority was making sure I was always informed and knew exactly what was going on, every step of the way.
If something happens again, Rebecca and Sally Morin will be my first call--and I'm sure there will be a multitude of emails to follow! :P
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Steve M.
Verified
Attorneys Annie Levitt Heller and Carmen from Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers are the absolute best! They are dedicated, approachable and thorough in all their work. They provided the best possible outcome for my case (I was a pedestrian hit by a car in a crosswalk) and supportive every step of the way. I would absolutely recommend Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers to anyone Forever grateful to them!
Posted on Yelp
James Minh N.
Verified
My sister got in a car accident, was hit badly by another driver, became unconscious, and was immediately taken to hospital emergency with an internal brain bleeding thus could not defend herself. As a result, the police report had false information from the other driver and concluded my sister at fault. While other legal firms purposed disappeared after seeing at the police report and other driver's cheap insurance policy (not easy win), Sally Morin team with great heart and "no win, no pay" written clause took on the case and successfully reversed both insurance + police reports and won the case. My family is grateful to find Sally Morin firm and great team with legal expertise, experience, and most important great heart. Thank you very much.
Posted on Yelp
Tim K.
Verified
Unfortunately me and my mom were hit by another driver on the freeway. We ended up with hospital bills and a long road to recovery especially for my 85 yr old mother. This was such a tragedy and uncertain times for us not knowing where to turn and what to do about mounting bills while trying to get our lives in order. I contacted Sally and her wonderful team. Carmen one of her associates worked with me and my mom and handled everything. Carmen was awesome and such a caring lawyer as well. She keeps
It real and we loved that about her. When you need a personal injury attorney that will work on handling your case in every aspect, insurance claims, potential health liens and negotiating on your behalf then Sally Morin Personal Injury law firm is the one to contact. You can count on them. Carmen explained everything so we knew what we were in for and was trustworthy and honest. There is no way to state how invaluable and priceless it is knowing the law firm you hired has your back and can be trusted. I hope no one ever needs a personal Injury attorney because being injured is one of the worst things that can happen to you; your life changes in an instant after a bad accident. But having a law firm like Sally Morin with lawyers like Carmen make that terrible experience much better knowing they are there to handle every aspect of your case and do it so well. Thanks Carmen and team. Much appreciated!
Posted on Yelp
Stephan B.
Verified
I originally reached out to a different law firm to handle my personal injury case, but Sally Morin's team (Rebecca Taylor in particular) left such a good impression on me that I switched to them--and I'm glad I did! They were empathetic and professional, communicated early and often, and patiently walked me through every option. They did thorough research and handled so much on their end that I was able to focus on my recovery/work/life with minimal disruption. So I highly recommend this firm.
Posted on Yelp
Michele H.
Verified
Word cannot express the honesty from Annie at Sally Morin law . She is honest kind and to the point . If you want to get ripped off by shady humans don't hire Annie . If you want honest kind and attentive go with Annie at Sally Morin law . You will feel good about your choice . She is a firm advocate with insurance and health care . Annie and her team will be available to explain things all the way through . Her integrity is not matched in this field . I would hire again and again
Thanks Annie You made one of the most difficult times in my families life tolerable !
Your kindness and integrity are not matched in everyday life . Much less with personal injury lawyers thank you thank you
Michele Hargrove
About the author Sally Morin
When life throws you a curveball—a serious injury in a traffic accident—you need more than just a lawyer. View author bio
