Facial and dental injuries from bicycle accidents cause both functional impairment and lasting disfigurement. Without windshields or airbags to protect them, cyclists who crash often suffer severe trauma to the face, mouth, and teeth. Understanding these injuries and their compensation helps victims pursue full recovery.
Common Facial Injuries in Bicycle Accidents
Cyclists suffer facial injuries when they strike the ground, vehicles, or other objects face-first. Common injuries include lacerations requiring stitches or surgery, nasal fractures affecting breathing and appearance, orbital (eye socket) fractures threatening vision, cheekbone and jaw fractures requiring surgical repair, and soft tissue damage causing permanent scarring.
Traumatic brain injuries often accompany facial trauma due to the forces transmitted through the skull. Facial injuries should prompt thorough neurological evaluation.
Dental Injuries and Their Impact
Bicycle accidents frequently damage teeth. Broken, chipped, or cracked teeth require crowns, root canals, or extraction. Knocked-out (avulsed) teeth may be reimplanted if treated immediately but often require implants. Jaw fractures affect bite alignment and may require extensive orthodontic treatment.
Dental injuries have long-term implications. Implants and crowns have limited lifespans and will need replacement multiple times over a patient's life. Root canal-treated teeth may eventually fail. Comprehensive damage calculations account for lifetime dental costs.
Treatment for Facial and Dental Injuries
Severe facial injuries often require oral and maxillofacial surgery. Facial fractures may be repaired with plates and screws. Reconstructive surgery addresses deformity. Multiple surgeries over time may be needed to achieve optimal results.
Dental treatment includes emergency care, restorative work, potential orthodontics, and long-term maintenance. Dental implants to replace lost teeth cost several thousand dollars each and must be replaced periodically throughout life.
Calculating Facial Injury Damages
Medical and dental expenses include all emergency, surgical, and reconstructive care plus lifetime maintenance costs. Future expenses for scar revision, implant replacement, and ongoing dental care must be projected.
Disfigurement damages compensate for visible scarring and altered appearance. Facial scars are particularly compensable because faces are always visible and central to personal identity and social interaction. Courts recognize the profound psychological impact of facial disfigurement.
Pain and suffering accounts for both the acute trauma of injury and ongoing difficulties with eating, speaking, breathing, or self-image.
Documenting Facial Injury Claims
Photograph injuries extensively from initial trauma through healing. Take regular photos to document scar evolution. Save all dental records and imaging.
Expert testimony from plastic surgeons regarding scar permanence and potential improvements supports disfigurement claims. Dentists can project lifetime treatment costs. Mental health professionals may testify about psychological impacts.
Impact on Quality of Life
Facial injuries affect victims beyond physical function. Social anxiety, depression, and reduced self-esteem commonly result from visible disfigurement. Difficulty eating affects nutrition and social meals. Speech impediments from dental or jaw injuries impact communication and employment.
These quality of life impacts are compensable elements of damage that thorough documentation supports.
If you suffered facial or dental injuries in a bicycle accident, comprehensive documentation and specialized legal representation help ensure full compensation for these life-altering injuries.