Breast Implants Damaged in a Car Accident

Women with breast implants are at high risk for implant rupture or implant displacement if they are involved in a serious car accident. Quite simply, the forces from an impact can trigger extreme pressure on the breast implant by way of the seatbelt, airbag, or if the body forcefully hits something inside the car. A damaged breast implant is a serious medical issue that can have far-reaching physical and mental health consequences. At Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, our Longmont personal injury lawyers have decades of collective experience helping women get financially compensated for injuries suffered in serious car accidents. If your breast implants have been damaged or displaced as a result of a car accident, our team understands the physical pain, embarrassment, and anger you may be experiencing. We invite you to reach out to us today at 303-543-1000 for a free and confidential consultation with our Longmont attorneys.

Damaged breast implants are fully compensable under Colorado law – just like any other body part that is injured in a car accident. A good Longmont personal injury attorney knows that proving that breast implant rupture or displacement begins and ends with your medical providers. For example, the first step is to show that you had little to no signs or symptoms of breast implant damage before the accident. Or, if you did have some level of implant damage prior to the crash, you can show that the implant damage increased following your car accident. In the personal injury world, this latter concept is known as aggravation or exacerbation of a pre-existing condition, which is also fully compensable under Colorado law.

Women who have had their implants damaged in a car accident can recover for the cost of medical treatment related to the implant, including the cost of imaging, mental and physical therapy, surgery needed to fix the problem with implants or remove the implants altogether, as well as any advanced medical therapy related to symptoms of silicone or saline leakage. In other words, a skilled Longmont personal injury lawyer can get you compensation needed to “make you whole” for your damages and losses.

Given that breast implants generally are either silicone or saline, the symptoms of a ruptured implant can vary. For example, silicone implants tend to leak more slowly than saline implants. A rupture means the integrity of the implant has been compromised, usually through a tear or break in the implant lining. Our Longmont personal injury attorneys understand how this can result in the silicone or saline leaking out of the implant and into the body, which can cause symptoms ranging from severe autoimmune reactions to pain or discomfort.

Because it is difficult to know whether an implant has been broken, our Longmont personal injury lawyers recommend that after a car accident you speak with your primary medical provider about your implants – regardless of whether you are feeling symptoms. With that said, if you have bruising on your chest from where the seatbelt tightened around you, or if the airbag went off and hit you in your chest, it becomes more likely that your implants may have been damaged.

If possible, make an appointment with the surgeon who performed your original breast implant surgery. We also suggest that you request imaging of your breasts, either with an MRI, CT scan, or an ultrasound – although MRIs are generally considered the most accurate imaging method. Advanced imaging is one of the only ways fully assess the extent – if any – of the damage to your implants and what you can do medically to reduce the impact to your health.

Our personal injury attorneys in Longmont understand that ruptures generally result in the damaged breast(s) getting smaller, or even taking on asymmetrical shapes. Similarly, when a breast implant is displaced from its original pre-crash position, you may notice that one breast sits higher than the other, more left or right, or even protrudes outward at an unnatural angle. Again, even if you think your implants are fine after suffering trauma from a car accident, to be safe we recommend that you raise the issue of your breast implants with your medical provider.

At Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, our Longmont personal injury lawyers can help advise you on how to prove a claim for damaged or displaced implants due to a car accident. We invite you to call us today at 303-543-1000 for a free and confidential meeting with our Longmont attorneys to discuss your case. We can meet you at our office in Longmont or Lafayette, at your home, or at a neutral location like a coffee house, restaurant, or library. We are familiar with the pain you are experiencing and can help you find the justice you deserve.