Dental injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents are relatively common and can even be acquired in very low-speed crashes. Physical injuries from motorbike injuries are often severe. Therefore, it is essential to include dental injuries in your compensation claim.
Dental work can be extremely costly, especially if a dental surgeon or maxillofacial surgeon is required. Provided you were not entirely at fault for the accident, you could have a claim. Remember to include all dental costs in the lawsuit, or you could be short changing yourself.
Are dental injuries common in motorcycle accidents?
Dental injuries are prevalent in motorcycle injuries. Motorcycle riders are exposed, resulting in higher rates of dental injuries than in motor vehicle accidents.
Riders are often thrown over their handlebars and strike objects, leading to facial impacts and injury. Tooth damage and even loss can occur. Bones can usually be repaired, teeth do not regrow, and fixing them may need dental restorations. Dental repairs can be costly and very painful.
The Motorcycle Legal Foundation statistics reveal that: “5,115 people died, and 79,000 were injured in motorcycle crashes in 2019. Motorcycles represent only 3% of all types of vehicles registered in the U.S. and account for only 0.6% of miles driven by all vehicles. Although the number of motorcycles, 8.6 million, registered in the U.S. pales compared to the 263.8 million other motor vehicles registered in this country, they account for 14% of all traffic fatalities, 17% of passenger fatalities or occupant deaths, and 3% of all injuries.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 5000 riders died in motorcycle accidents in 2020, and motorcycle fatalities continue to be overrepresented in traffic death rates, accounting for 14% of all road fatalities.
High accident rates result in high volumes of dental injuries.
What type of dental injuries result from motorcycle accidents?
Damage can range from slightly chipped teeth to knocked-out teeth to dead teeth.
In severe accidents, damage to the jaw-bone can result in loss of teeth and disfigurement and deconstruction of bone.
There are various treatments to restore your million-dollar smile, but costs can escalate really quickly depending on the treatment required.
Treatment can range from reasonably inexpensive dental bonding of chipped or cracked teeth to entire maxillofacial surgery, reconstruction surgery, and teeth implants.
How much money is awarded for dental claims?
This is a difficult question to answer with much certainty. However, actual costs incurred in having the dental repairs affected are pretty easy to quantify as there are invoices to prove the actual damages incurred.
However, a jury will be required to apportion a value to less quantifiable categories such as pain and suffering. An assessment of previous awards made can provide a generalized idea of the likely award amount. Every single jury is different, so award amounts differ significantly.
The following dental awards after accidents illustrate the wide range of awards that is possible:
$42 500 was paid as a settlement to a plaintiff who had a few teeth broken in a car accident.
In another case, a $98 000 settlement was paid to an accident plaintiff for 2 cracked teeth and a lacerated lip with permanent scarring.
What kinds of damages are considered in assessing an award?
Three different categories of damages are considered: economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages.
Economic damages typically make up the bulk of the claim. These damages include damages that have an amount that is relatively easy to define. For example, medical expenses which have already
Non-economic damages are more difficult to quantify and vary greatly. These could include, for instance, emotional distress from the accident and pain and suffering.
Don’t forget to file a dental claim!
Once you’ve visited your dental surgeon to be evaluated, your next step should be to find an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer with a history of outstanding results winning compensation for their clients. Houston area personal injury attorney Stewart J. Guss is an excellent choice if your accident happened in Texas.
Dental costs are expensive and sometimes overlooked in claims for compensation as they seem trivial compared to many of the other injuries suffered by motorcycle riders. However, dental repairs can be very costly. This is why it’s wise to hire an experienced motorcycle accident attorney so that they can fight for your dental bill compensation.
Most commonly, your dental claim will be included in the broader claim for other physical damages suffered. Therefore, it is vital to make sure that the dental claim is not overlooked.
Your lawyer will handle all aspects of your claim, from accident investigation to handling insurance claims to working out the claim amount. Your lawyer should have extensive experience in handling catastrophic injuries. You need to concentrate on healing up and let the experts take on the stress of the legal implications.