One of the most common types of personal injuries that a victim can suffer in a car or other type of accident is a fractured bone. Although many people tend to think of fractured bones as a “routine” type of accident injury, the truth is that if a fractured bone does not heal correctly, the victim can be left with permanent damage or disability.
Fractured Bone Injuries
The severity of a bone fracture often depends on the location of the bone. The usual form of treatment involves lining up the parts of the bone and fitting them together. A physician will use some type of device – either a brace or cast – to hold the pieces together in order for them to heal back together. In accidents where the bone fracture is severe or the bone is in multiple pieces, surgery is usually necessary to put the bone back together, usually by using either plates or metal pins or rods. The more severe the break, the longer the recovery and rehabilitation take.
The most common type of fractures includes:
- Clean fracture – When the pieces of the fractured bone line up directly.
- Compound fractures – These are typically open breaks where the bone has punctured the skin and is exposed.
- Comminuted fracture – When the bone is broken into multiple pieces.
- Oblique fracture – When the bone break is in an angled pattern.
- Transverse fracture – When the bone break is horizontal.
Fractured Bone Complications
Although many fractures heal without complications, it is not uncommon for victims to develop issues during the recovery period. These complications can lead to more health issues and often require even more recovery time. In addition to the health problems, the extended recovery can also leave the victim with more medical expenses, as well as additional lost wages since they are often unable to work. It is also not uncommon for complications to leave the victim with some form of permanent damage.
Some of these complications include:
- Damage to the surrounding muscles, tissues, and tendons caused by improper casting
- The bone heals in the wrong position
- The bone still has not healed together after nine months
- The bone splinters or breaks again
Contact a Virginia Accident Attorney
If you have suffered fractured bones in an accident caused by another party, you may be entitled to financial compensation for the losses the broken bone injury has caused, including medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, permanent disability, scarring, and more. Call Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp to schedule a free and confidential consultation with one of our dedicated Virginia personal injury attorneys. Our attorneys will evaluate your case and determine what type of legal options you may have.
Our legal team has successfully represented many accident victims who suffered broken bones, including a $125,000 settlement for one client who suffered a nondisplaced right wrist fracture and other soft tissue injuries when another driver ran a red light. Another case handled by our lawyers involved a comminuted fracture of the femur that resulted in a $300,000 award.
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