Can Stitches Resulting from a Car Accident be Compensated? 

Key Points: 

• Stitches, also called sutures, are a common way medical professionals use to close wounds and lacerations  
• Stitches are used to close the wound to minimize the risk of infection and to minimize scarring 
• Suturing or stitching a wound after an event like a car accident is one of the medical procedures and costs that can and should be included in the insurance settlement 
• Scarring can still be a problem the victim must cope with after an accident, and could be an important part of your insurance claim 

Table of Contents

Why are Stitches Necessary after a Car Accident? 

Stitches are often necessary after a car accident, especially if the accident caused a laceration (deep cut) or puncture wound. Lacerations and puncture wounds can be caused by broken glass, metal, or other debris from the accident. They can also be caused by contact with the steering wheel, dashboard, seat belts, or other surfaces in the vehicle. 

There are several reasons why one might require stitches after a car accident.

First, stitches can help to close the wound and prevent infection. If a wound is left open, bacteria can enter and cause an infection. This can lead to serious complications, such as sepsis. 

Second, stitches can help to reduce scarring. When a wound heals, the body produces scar tissue. Scar tissue can be unsightly and can also cause pain and discomfort. Stitches can help to reduce the amount of scar tissue that forms. 

Third, stitches can improve the appearance of the wound. Stitches can help to align the edges of the wound and create a smooth, even surface. This can be especially important for cuts on the face or other visible areas of the body. 

Types of stitches used after a car accident 

There are two main types of stitches that are used after a car accident: absorbable and non-absorbable stitches. The type of stitch used will depend on the severity of the wound and its location. 

• Absorbable stitches dissolve on their own over time. They are typically made of materials such as polyglycolic acid or polydioxanone. Absorbable stitches are often used for internal wounds or wounds that are not under a lot of tension. 
• Non-absorbable stitches do not dissolve on their own. They must be removed by a doctor or other healthcare professional. Non-absorbable stitches are typically made of materials such as nylon or polyester. Non-absorbable stitches are often used for external wounds or wounds that are under a lot of tension. 

Procedure for getting stitches 

Rest assured that receiving stitches isn’t a difficult medical procedure. Your doctor will clean the wound to remove bacteria and debris and, depending on the severity and your own pain tolerance, they may also numb the area with a local anesthetic!

Your doctor will then stitch your skin together, which is similar to sewing two edges of fabric together! The amount of stitches you need will depend upon the severity and size of your wound.

What to expect after getting stitches 

Keep your wound clean and dry and avoid strenuous activity. Any stress on your wound can cause it to tear open.

Your doctor will provide care instructions for your stitches, and it is important to follow these to the letter!

Although most stitches are removed within 7 to 10 days, some stitches might be removed sooner or later depending on the severity of your wound (and even the type of stitches your doctor used!).

Recovering the Visible and Invisible Costs of Stitches

If you received stitches resulting from injuries in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you can receive compensation as part of your insurance settlement. In general, if a person fails to act reasonably and causes harm to another, they may be considered negligent.

To receive compensation for your stitches, you need to prove not only that the other person was negligent but also that their negligence caused your injuries. This requires that you provide proof of the extent of your injuries and the attendant costs of your medical treatment.

Here are some of the key factors that might affect how much compensation you can receive for getting stitches following a car accident:

• The severity of your injuries 
• The cost of your medical treatment 
• The impact your injuries have had on your life, such as your ability to work and participate in activities 
• Whether you have any permanent scarring from your injuries  

Scarring can Change Your Life 

Scarring is a permanent change in the texture, color, and/or appearance of the skin. It occurs as the result of a wound when the body produces collagen, a type of protein, to heal a wound. Collagen can be produced unevenly, which can lead to scarring. 

In the course of settling a car accident claim, scarring can be an important part of the settlement. Scarring after a car accident can be compensable because it can have a significant impact on the victim’s life. Scars can be unsightly, and they can also cause pain and discomfort. Scars can also limit a person’s movement and range of motion. In some cases, scars can even interfere with a person’s ability to work or participate in activities. 

Types of Scars 

There are many different types of scars, including: 

• Keloid scars: These scars are raised and red, and they can extend beyond the original wound. 
• Contracture scars: These scars tighten the skin around the wound, which can limit movement. 
• Hypertrophic scars: These scars are raised and thick, but they do not extend beyond the original wound. 
• Atrophic scars: These scars are sunken and indented. 

If you have been injured in a car accident and have scarring, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, including the cost of scar revision surgery as well as pain and suffering. 

What Kind of Scars Might be Compensable? 

Here are a few examples of the types of scarring for which you might be compensated after a car accident: 

• A visible and disfiguring face scar,
• A hand scar that limits movement and makes gripping objects difficult,
• A limiting leg scar that prevents movement and makes running and walking challenging,
• An uncomfortable back scar causing pain, and
• An abdominal scar that causes pain, discomfort, and makes wearing clothing difficult.

What Factors Impact Scarring Compensation?

There isn’t a set formula for calculating compensation for scarring, and payouts vary depending on the facts of each case. If you have experienced scarring from a car accident, contact an experienced lawyer to find out your legal rights and discuss options.

Here are some of the factors that are considered when determining scarring compensation:

• Severity: Scar severity is a key factor in determining compensation amounts, and more acute scars like keloid or deeply indented scars often result in higher compensation. 
• Location & Visibility: The more visible the location of a scar, the more compensation you can typically expect. For example, scars on the hands or face are considered more disfiguring and often result in more compensation than scars on the scalp or beneath clothing.
• Impact: If a scar has a major impact on your life, you can expect higher compensation. Scars can cause pain or discomfort, limit movement, interfere with work or daily activities, and often negatively impact a person’s self-esteem and confidence. In general, the greater the impact on your life, the higher payout you can expect from scarring.

Here are some additional factors that may impact the amount of compensation due to scarring:

• Age
• Occupation
• Costs associated with corrective surgery for scars
• Pain and suffering

An Example of Compensation for Scarring

Here are some general calculations used in determining compensation for scarring:

• Severity: Acute keloid scarring
• Location: Face
• Visibility: Very visible
• Overall Impact:  Regularly causes pain or discomfort, limits overall movement, and interferes in work and socialization

Whoever was injured in this case would likely be entitled to a significant payout. It’s likely that the compensation for this case would be higher than that of someone experiencing a less severe, less visible, or less impactful scar.

Which Medical Professionals are Qualified to Stitch
Accident Victims’ Wounds?

You should always see a medical professional as soon as possible if you have a severe injury because they can help prevent infections and promote healing. These are the key medical professionals capable of stitching injuries:

• Emergency Physicians (EPs): EPs can treat patients experiencing a wide variety of medical emergencies. If you have been brought to an emergency department, you will probably receive stitches from EPs before seeing other medical professionals.
• Family Physicians (FPs): FPs are capable of treating a wide variety of medical conditions, including injuries requiring stitches. Your primary care physician can usually perform stitches in their office but, depending on the severity of the injury, may refer patients to a specialist that can treat more complex injuries, including dermatologists and plastic surgeons.
• Dermatologists: Dermatologists specialize in skin, hair, and nails and can perform stitches on cuts, lacerations, and other skin injuries.
• Plastic Surgeons: Plastic surgeons are capable of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery and are qualified to perform stitches when you have injuries on visible parts of the body.

This list isn’t exhaustive, and other medical professionals like nurses and paramedics are often trained to perform stitches on minor injuries or prehospital settings.

In an emergency department, you will not usually have input on who will address your injury. Medical professionals in the emergency department will assess a number of factors such as the severity and location of your injury before deciding who should give you stitches.

Minor injuries such as a small cut or laceration will often receive stitches from a nurse or paramedic before even making it to an emergency department, but more severe injuries will land you in the emergency department seeing a doctor like an emergency physician, dermatologist, or plastic surgeon.

Because plastic surgeons are experts in reconstruction and repair of damaged tissues, they may be the best fit for severe injuries to ensure you don’t have highly visible scars or other complications.

There are four key injuries that should be stitched up by a plastic surgeon:

• Highly visible cuts: Plastic surgeons are capable of minimizing scarring with specialized techniques that close cuts.
• Complex lacerations: Plastic surgeons are equipped to handle complex lacerations involving multiple layers of tissue or injuries in difficult-to-reach locations.
• Wounds requiring microsurgery: If your injury has affected nerves or blood vessels, you will often need a form of specialized surgery using tiny instruments to repair these small structures. Plastic surgeons are the most readily equipped to use microsurgery to repair difficult or impossible to treat wounds.
• Wounds requiring reconstruction: If you have experienced tissue loss or damage, you may require reconstruction by a plastic surgeon, who can use skin grafts, tissue flaps, and microsurgery.

If your wound falls within any of these four categories, a plastic surgeon may be the best option to provide you with treatment. In these cases, a plastic surgeon is the medical professional most suited to treating your wound.

The benefits of getting stitches from a plastic surgeon:

• Plastic surgeons can close wounds in a way that minimizes scarring due to their deep understanding of skin and tissue anatomy.
• Plastic surgeons can customize your stitches to your wound using a wider variety of suture techniques.
• Plastic surgeons will often use specialized dressings that promote healing, reduce scarring, and lower the risk of future complications.
• Plastic surgeons will address concerns that arise during the healing process using tailored follow-up care that can enhance the healing process.

If you are unsure whether or not you should see a plastic surgeon for stitches, it is always best to err on the side of caution and consult with a specialist. 

How Are Stitches Valued in a Car Accident Claim? 

The value of stitches in a car accident claim depends on a number of factors, including: 

• The severity of the injury 
• The cost of medical treatment 
• The impact of the injury on the person’s life 

Severity of the injury 

The value of stitches following a car accident is determined largely by the severity of the injuries. Deep cuts and lacerations that require multiple stitches or more intense reconstruction will result in higher compensation while minor cuts with minimal stitches usually result in lower compensation.

Medical treatment costs

The cost of your medical treatments following a car accident play a large role in how stitches will be valued. If your medical treatment is more expensive, you will typically receive higher compensation. Medical treatment costs include the cost of the stitches and any other medical care relating to the injury, such as anesthesia and pain medication.

Cost of medical treatment 

The cost of medical treatment is another important factor. The more expensive the medical treatment, the higher the compensation will be. This includes the cost of the stitches themselves, as well as the cost of any other medical care that is needed, such as anesthesia and pain medication. 

Overall impact on livelihood

The impact of the injury on the person’s life is also a factor. If the injury has caused pain and discomfort, limited movement, or interfered with the person’s ability to work or participate in activities, this will increase the value of the claim. 

In addition to these factors, the value of a car accident claim for stitches may also be affected by the following: 

• The age of the person who was injured 
• The person’s occupation 
• The person’s pain and suffering 
• The liability of the other driver 

Are Future Scar Reduction Treatments Covered in Payouts?

Scarring is often a long-term problem that requires ongoing treatment to both manage symptoms and improve the appearance of the scar.

These forms of scarring treatment might be eligible for compensation:

• Scar revision surgery
• Laser scar removal
• Microdermabrasion
• Chemical peels
• Injections of fillers or corticosteroids
• Physical therapy

Compensation for future treatment depends on how severe your scarring is, coupled with the type and cost of the treatment.

In order to receive compensation for scarring treatments in the future, you need to prove your scarring will require future medical attention as well as the associated costs with said treatments.

In these cases, you will need to provide medical evidence, which includes a letter from your doctor or a medical report. Additionally, you can provide estimated costs by either getting a quote from your doctor or by researching the average cost of treatments.

Speak with an experienced car accident lawyer if you plan on seeking compensation for future scarring treatments. They can help you gather all of the evidence and information listed above to help prove your case and guarantee the highest compensation possible.

What Evidence Validates Stitch-Related Claims from Car Accidents?

In order to prove that your scarring is connected to a car accident, you need to provide the following pieces of evidence:

• The existence of the scarring, which includes medical records, photographs of scars, or a doctor’s report.
• The cause of the scarring, which comes in the form of eye-witness testimony by you, an eyewitness, or a medical expert.
• The impact of the scarring on your life as evidenced by testimony by you, your friends or family, or medical experts. This would commonly cover information about pain and suffering, limitations to movement or activities, and psychological or emotional distress.

Types of evidence needed to prove damages from scarring
caused by a car accident:

• Medical records provide evidence for and show the cause of your scarring. These records include initial treatments, follow-up care, and surgeries or treatments to help with the scarring.
• Photographs provide visual evidence and demonstrate impact on appearance, especially when the scars are not on clearly visible parts of your body or have healed due to medical treatments.
• Expert testimony from dermatologists, plastic surgeons, or other medical professionals can speak to the severity of your scarring, the need for future treatment, and how the scarring may impact your life.
• Testimony from friends and family can highlight how scarring has caused you pain or discomfort, limitations to movement, and psychological or emotional distress.
• Testimony from yourself can strengthen the case that you are experiencing pain or distress and limitations to movement and can demonstrate your emotional distress due to the scarring.

All of this evidence speaks to the existence, cause, and impact of your scarring, and it can be used to negotiate with your insurance company or, if needed, can support your case in court.