Broken bones can result in major complications, but they are not always taken as seriously as other types of injuries. There are many causes and considerable side effects apart from the obvious inconvenience. Victims who have suffered a broken bone injury due to another person’s negligence have the right to demand compensation. You can count on the personal injury attorneys of Cooper Schall & Levy to stand up for your rights.
Types Of Broken Bones
If you’re in an automobile accident or suffer another type of personal injury, you could have one or more of the following fractures:
- Limbs: arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, toes, legs, knees, ankles, wrists
- Hip and pelvis, including dislocation
- Face and jaw: face, nose, jaw, teeth (lost, chipped, or broken)
- Neck, back, and torso: vertebra, collarbone, sternum, ribs, shoulders
- Skull fractures
How Your Bones May Break
It takes a tremendous amount of force to break a human bone. Depending on the nature of your injury, you could suffer one or several of the following common breaks:
- Stress or hairline fracture: this type of break results in a small crack in the bone that may go unnoticed
- Transverse fracture: this type of fracture runs straight across the bone
- Greenstick fracture: this occurs when the bone bends and cracks, instead of fracturing completely into separate pieces
- Comminuted fracture: a break that occurs when the bone fractures into three or more pieces
- Oblique fracture: this type runs diagonal to the long axis of a bone
- Compound fracture: also known as an open fracture, the broken bone pierces the skin and may cause infection
- Avulsion fracture: an injury to the bone where a tendon or ligament is attached
It’s possible for an accident victim to be unaware that a fracture has occurred. But there are a few signs you should be aware of if you have been hurt. Swelling, heat, stiffness, weakness, bruising, and other painful and persistent symptoms may indicate a fracture. As with any accident or injury, it’s important to consult with your primary care physician.
Complications From a Broken Bone Injury
A patient may experience a number of difficulties stemming from a bone fracture, including:
- Prolonged pain
- Delayed healing which may require surgery
- Infection
- Blood poisoning
- Nerve or blood vessel damage
- Internal organ damage from a broken bone
- Arthritis
Treatment For Broken Bones
Even if you don’t believe you have broken a bone, you should let a doctor make that call. A hairline fracture, for example, is difficult to detect without an X-ray. You may also have several different types of fractures at the same time.
Your doctor will carefully examine you to see if there is evidence you’ve broken a bone. If there is, he or she will order an X-ray or CT scan to get a closer look. Broken bones need to be set (put back in their original position) and should be immobilized using a cast or some other type of physical restriction. You can expect your recovery to take 6-8 weeks, but the actual time will vary based on the nature of the injury, your age, and other factors. Your doctor will provide instructions on how to ensure proper healing.
Why Broken Bones Happen
If you’ve been in any of the following types of accidents, you have a high probability of suffering a broken bone:
- Automobile, motorcycle, or bicycle accident
- Pedestrian accident (struck by a vehicle or bicycle)
- Construction and other workplace accidents
- Premises liability accidents (such as a slip and fall)
- Nursing home accidents
Accidents are typically the result of another person’s negligent actions. Negligence means the party responsible for your accident did not act with the level of reasonable care that was owed to you under the circumstances. A classic example is drunk driving which causes an automobile wreck.
A victim may also suffer broken bones due to an assault, such as when someone hits them over the head or pushes them down. Although this isn’t an “accident,” assault may be the result of negligent security or some other failure on the part of a responsible property owner. Regardless of why you were injured, you need skilled legal counsel to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
Damages For a Broken Bone Injury
Medical bills, including hospital bills, are the most obvious form of damages for which broken bone victims may be compensated. Those may include prescription drugs and future treatments as well.
If you are hospitalized or otherwise unable to work, you may be eligible for lost wages. This is especially true where the victim performs manual labor in their occupation. Some individuals are not able to perform at the same level of productivity after their injuries, and they may be compensated for those work-related losses as well.
You could also be eligible for pain and suffering and emotional distress in some cases. The damages have to be considered on a case-by-case basis, so notify your attorney of all economic and non-economic losses you experience.
Having A Broken Bone Injury Attorney Is Important
You don’t just need an attorney who understands Pennsylvania personal injury law and how to file a lawsuit. An experienced broken bone injury attorney will also thoroughly investigate what happened in your case, using discovery and other methods. That means obtaining medical records, photographs, videos, witness statements, and more. It also means relying on expert witnesses who can describe in detail the losses you have suffered and will suffer because of your broken bones.
Contact A Philadelphia Broken Bone Injury Attorney
Winning the compensation you need after experiencing a broken bone starts with holding the at-fault party liable. The personal injury attorneys of Cooper Schall & Levy represent clients in Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania, and we will fight for your rights and interests in court. Reach out to us today to find out how we can serve you and your family.
Cooper Schall & Levy personal injury lawyers serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as well as neighboring counties such as Montgomery County and Delaware County and cover neighborhoods such as Norristown and Drexel Hill.
