Bowel perforation accident lawyer

Perforation of the bowel after blunt trauma is dangerous for a specific reason: it is frequently not apparent on the first assessment. Intestinal contents leak into the abdomen and infection develops over hours, so a person who appeared stable can deteriorate sharply. Delay in recognition is what turns a survivable injury into a critical one. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. handles catastrophic injury claims in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

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What the imaging and records show

CT is the study but early scans can be misleadingly reassuring, since free air or free fluid may not yet be apparent. The findings sought include free air outside the bowel, free fluid without solid organ injury, thickening of the bowel wall and inflammatory change in the surrounding fat. A seatbelt sign — bruising across the abdomen — is an important clinical marker associated with these injuries and should prompt a lower threshold for repeat imaging and observation.

Why this injury meets the legal threshold

Confirmed perforation requiring surgical repair is unambiguous objective injury. Where peritonitis developed, where the abdomen was left open, or where a stoma was formed, each documents severity independently. These are not injuries whose seriousness can be argued down.

Typical treatment course and prognosis

Treatment is surgical: repair of the perforation or resection of the damaged segment, washout of the abdomen, and antibiotics. Where contamination is significant a stoma may be formed, either temporarily or permanently, with a later operation to reverse it if possible. Recognized consequences include adhesions causing bowel obstruction years later, incisional hernia, chronic abdominal pain, and where a stoma remains, a permanent change in daily life.

How these claims are contested

Where the delay in diagnosis is in issue, expect the argument that the presentation was not typical and the early CT was normal — which is true of many of these injuries and is precisely why the seatbelt sign and clinical deterioration matter. Long term, expect adhesive obstruction years later to be characterized as unrelated, when adhesions from abdominal surgery are a recognized and foreseeable consequence.

Building the claim properly

Establish the mechanism, typically a seatbelt or handlebar compression of the abdomen. Document the presence of a seatbelt sign, which is significant. Reconstruct the timeline of assessment, imaging and deterioration, since delayed recognition may involve an additional responsible party. Obtain the operative findings. And document the long-term risks — adhesive obstruction, incisional hernia, stoma-related consequences — as future care rather than leaving them to be discovered later.

Available insurance coverage

What can be recovered is limited by what coverage exists. The at-fault party’s policy is the starting point, but it is frequently not the only source: the injured person’s own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, household policies, employer coverage where a vehicle was used for work, umbrella and excess layers, and the coverage of any additional responsible party can all apply. Underinsured coverage typically requires notice and consent before any settlement with the at-fault party — settling first can forfeit it. Identifying every available layer is early work, not closing work.

How damages are categorised and proven

Damages are not a single number that gets negotiated. They are separate categories, each proven by different evidence. Past medical expense is proven by billing records and the reasonableness of the charges. Future medical expense requires a physician’s opinion that the care is reasonably certain to be needed. Lost income is proven by employment and tax records; lost earning capacity is a different and larger question requiring vocational and economic analysis. Non-economic loss — pain, limitation, and the effect on daily life — is proven through the medical record and through testimony from people who can describe specific changes rather than general decline. No one can responsibly tell you what a case is worth before that evidence exists, and any figure offered at the outset is a guess.

Filing deadlines

Every injury claim is governed by a statute of limitations, and the periods differ by state and by claim type. For personal injury actions the period is two years in Virginia under Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), accruing at the date of injury; three years in Maryland under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101; three years in the District of Columbia under D.C. Code § 12-301(8); two years in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; and three years in New York under N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5). These are general periods. Discovery rules, tolling for minors and incapacity, claims against government entities — the District imposes a six-month notice-of-claim requirement for claims against the District government — and claim-specific statutes can shorten or extend them. Do not rely on a general period for your own case; have the deadline confirmed on your facts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is bowel injury missed so often?

Because the early signs can be subtle and the first CT may look reassuring — free air and free fluid take time to become apparent, and pain may be attributed to bruising from the seatbelt. Deterioration then occurs over hours as infection develops. This is why observation and repeat assessment matter after abdominal trauma.

What is a seatbelt sign?

Bruising across the abdomen in the pattern of the lap belt. It is a recognized marker for underlying injury including bowel perforation and associated spinal injury, and its presence should lower the threshold for imaging, observation and repeat assessment rather than being treated as a superficial bruise.

I was sent home and got much worse. What now?

The records should be reviewed to establish what was examined, what imaging was obtained and reported, what the findings were, and what discharge advice was given. Whether that met the applicable standard of care requires qualified medical opinion, and such claims carry separate deadlines and pre-suit requirements.

Will I need a colostomy?

Sometimes a stoma is formed where contamination is significant, often as a temporary measure with a later operation to reverse it. Whether reversal is possible depends on the circumstances. Where a stoma is permanent, that is a substantial and lifelong consequence affecting daily life, clothing, work and social activity.

What are adhesions?

Bands of scar tissue that form inside the abdomen after surgery or infection and can tether loops of bowel. They are a recognized consequence of abdominal surgery and can cause obstruction months or years later, sometimes requiring emergency surgery. This is a foreseeable future risk that belongs in the claim.

What is an incisional hernia?

A weakness in the abdominal wall at the site of a surgical incision, through which tissue can protrude. It is a recognized complication of emergency abdominal surgery, particularly where the wound was contaminated, and repair is a further operation. Where the risk exists it should be documented.

Should my spine have been checked?

Yes, where a seatbelt sign is present. Lap belt injuries are associated with a pattern of spinal fracture, and that association is well recognized. If you have back pain after such an injury and the spine has not been imaged, raise it specifically.

How long do I have to bring a claim?

Two years in Virginia and New Jersey, three years in Maryland, the District of Columbia and New York for personal injury actions. Where a delayed-diagnosis claim against a medical provider is also involved, separate malpractice deadlines and pre-suit requirements apply. Assess both promptly.

About Mr. Sris

Mr. Sris is the owner and founder of Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., which has practiced since 1997. He is a former prosecutor and is admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. Of Counsel attorneys contract directly with the firm and handle matters alongside him. In 2019 Mr. Sris testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee on House Bill 635.

Speak with Mr. Sris

Injury claims are governed by filing deadlines that vary by state and by claim type, and evidence degrades quickly. Request a consultation. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747. Consultations are by appointment.

Last reviewed: August 22, 2026.

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