Bone fractures are a common injury in accidents. Some are minor and can heal in a few weeks or months, while others are severe and take a long time to heal. Identifying the types of bone fractures sustained is crucial when filing a personal injury claim. This helps ensure appropriate compensation for your injuries.

Severe bone fractures can require multiple surgeries and an extensive recovery period with medication and physical therapy. Some result in intense pain, the loss of a limb or bodily function, and sometimes amputation. If you sustain a severe bone fracture in an accident, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand your rights and situation better. They can also help you file a claim to ensure you receive full compensation for all your damages.

Bone Fractures as Severe Injuries

An accident, whether a slip and fall or a vehicle accident, can result in all types of injuries. The injuries you sustain depend on the type and severity of the accident. Some people are injured in the head, neck, back, limbs, and other parts of the body. Since bones are a prominent component of human bodies, they, too, are affected in most accidents. When a bone fracture is minor, the injured do not pay much attention to it since it can heal naturally with time.

However, a severe bone fracture is a severe injury. It can affect your life in so many ways. For example, if you suffer a severe fracture on one or both hands, necessitating amputation, you lose the limb permanently. A severe bone fracture can also cause permanent damage to your back or neck, forcing you to adopt lifestyle changes to live with the resulting damage.

All these are important to consider when filing a personal injury claim. The extent and result of a bone fracture will determine the kind of compensation you deserve. If a severe bone fracture permanently affects the function of one or multiple body parts, it is a severe injury that requires adequate compensation. If you need further treatment, medication, and physical therapy due to a bone fracture, the injury is severe, and it necessitates sufficient compensation.

If you have been in a devastating accident, the worst outcome can be broken bones. The initial fracture can be minor and worsen with time, especially if you do not receive adequate or timely treatment. Some fractures worsen after a severe infection, like osteomyelitis. This will likely result in a need for amputation of the affected limb.

Your bones are flexible; they can slightly bend and break on impact. However, a powerful force can sever a human bone completely. It takes a severe accident to cause a severe bone fracture, like a high-impact road accident. If the accident causes you to experience severe force or impact, the force is powerful enough to shatter your bones into pieces. The result will be a type of fracture that could be difficult to treat. Medical experts need adequate time to set broken bones in several places within the body, which is possible through surgical treatment.

A competent personal injury attorney, with the assistance of medical experts, can help you determine the kind of bone fracture you have sustained in an accident and the kind of compensation you should seek. If the accident was due to another person’s negligence, you should have a valid personal injury case. Filing a claim with a civil court against the responsible person will get you the compensation you deserve for all your injuries.

Common Types of Bone Fractures in Accidents

The human body comprises various types of bones, each serving specific functions. Bones serve as your body’s structural framework. They give your body shape and form and allow various body parts to function. Some bones protect vital organs, while others enable mobility. Bones also provide essential minerals to your body. They are designed to remain as they are, for your body to continue functioning as it should. However, that can change due to an accident. Accidents can cause a shift in the location of critical bones in your body. They can also cause your bones to break or fracture. This will affect you in many ways, depending on the location and severity of the fracture.

Although human bones are generally strong, they can break under sufficient force. Though they can bend due to their flexibility, a severe force can break or fracture a bone. The kind of fracture you sustain also depends on the affected bone's strength and the impact's direction. The main types of bone fractures include the following:

Greenstick Fractures

These occur when a human bone sustains a slight break after bending. It is an incomplete break whereby the bone bends and cracks on one side. This is a common fracture in children since their bones are more flexible and less dense than those of adults.

You can sustain this fracture after a fall, especially if you fall on a stretched hand or experience any other kind of trauma. Wearing a cast for a predetermined time can result in the natural healing of the fractured bone.

Stable Fractures

This is a non-displaced bone fracture because even after the bone breaks, its ends remain in line, meaning that the ends of the fractured bones do not move out of place. It occurs when a bone breaks, but the pieces do not move significantly from their usual alignment. Such stable fractures can heal easily with treatments like splinting or casting.

Compound or Open Fracture

This is a type of fracture that happens when your bone breaks through your skin, causing you to sustain an open wound. This should be treated as an emergency because you risk an infection and possible complications. A medical expert must first clean and debride the wound. They will give you antibiotics to fight any infection. The doctor will also take necessary measures to reduce and stabilize the fracture.

Some fractures may require surgical treatment to realign the bone properly.

Transverse Fractures

These bone fractures occur perpendicular to their length, forming a straight line across the broken bone. They are mainly complete fractures, meaning they occur through the bone. Transverse fractures are common in severe traumas, like car accidents or falls. They are also common in longer bones like the tibia, humerus, ulna, and radius.

Buckle Fractures

These are also called torus fractures. They are a type of incomplete fracture whereby a side of a bone fractures after compression. It is experienced mostly by children and can affect different bones, including the ulna and radius. These types of fractures are stable and can heal after a few weeks.

Oblique Fractures

A diagonal fracture line across a bone shaft characterizes this bone fracture. The fracture occurs at an angle to the long axis of the affected bone. It mainly occurs after a twisted injury or a sideways impact. Doctors recommend conservative treatments like wearing a splint or cast to treat an oblique fracture. However, if there are bone fragments or the fracture is unstable, surgical treatment is highly recommended.

Comminuted Fractures

This fracture causes a bone to shatter into pieces (at least three pieces). It occurs after a high-impact injury substantial enough to break even the strongest bone. These fractures require extensive treatment and a long recovery. A medical expert will recommend surgical treatment to align the bone into position before immobilizing it for healing and stability. If the bone breaks into more pieces, it can take a long time and post-treatment, like physical therapy, to heal.

Possible Complications from Bone Fractures

A bone fracture is considered a severe injury if it causes your bone to shatter, affects more than one bone, or results in a complication. Some of the possible complications you can suffer due to a bone fracture include the following:

  • A bone fracture that causes damage to your blood vessels or nerves, resulting in severe internal bleeding, numbness, tingling, or paralysis
  • Compartment syndrome, whereby pressure builds up in a muscle compartment, affecting the flow of blood, and potentially causing nerve injury and tissue damage
  • Fat embolism occurs when fat globules from your bone marrow enter your bloodstream and move to the lungs, making it difficult to breathe, and also affecting some organs
  • Pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis, characterized by blood clots forming in the veins, mostly the legs, which can travel to your lungs, causing breathing difficulties
  • An infection, especially if it is an open fracture that breaks through your skin
  • Shock from significant bleeding, especially from severe fracture of the pelvis or femur

Some complications are delayed or occur after some time. You should consider these when filing your claim to ensure you are financially prepared to handle them when they occur. They include the following:

  • Non-union (the fracture fails to heal), delayed union (the healing takes longer than expected), or malunion (the healing occurs but in the wrong position), which occurs when your injury takes a long time to heal
  • Avascular necrosis, whereby you lose blood flow to the affected bone, causing the bone to die
  • An infection that occurs after initial healing, leading to bone infection or osteomyelitis
  • Post-traumatic arthritis occurs if the fracture occurs at or near a joint
  • Limb length discrepancy occurs when a fracture affects growth plates, especially in children

How Florida's No-Fault Law Affects Claims for Severe Bone Fractures

Florida uses the no-fault law for personal injury cases. This law was created to reduce litigation because of the overwhelming number of personal injury cases from car accidents. This law requires drivers to have Personal Injury Protection, an insurance coverage that guarantees compensation regardless of fault in the accident. An injured driver in a car accident can receive compensation from their insurer without considering the at-fault party.

However, your injuries must satisfy particular criteria to file a claim against a negligent party in a civil court. If you do not meet the requirements, you can only claim compensation from your insurance provider through the Personal Injury Protection coverage. If you meet the requirements, you can seek additional compensation from the responsible party above what you receive from your insurer. The criteria include the following requirements:

  • Proof that you sustained a permanent or significant loss of a critical bodily function
  • Proof of permanent injury
  • Proof that you sustained a permanent or significant disfigurement or scarring
  • Loss of life

Remember that some bone fractures are severe injuries. These can push you beyond the state threshold requirement for filing personal injury claims. You should talk to a skilled personal injury attorney to understand how this law affects your case. An attorney will also defend your rights and ensure you have all the necessary documents to file a successful claim.

Additionally, ensure you seek immediate treatment after an accident. Some bone fractures worsen if you delay treatment. This makes them difficult and expensive to treat. Delayed medical care can also affect your claim, especially if your insurance provider or the liable party claims the injury did not occur during the accident. Having an attorney from the beginning ensures you do what is required within the required timelines for a favorable outcome.

Find an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Near Me

Have you or someone you know sustained a bone fracture in an accident in Jacksonville that was caused by another person’s negligence?

Immediate medical help after the accident helps determine the type, severity, and location of the bone fracture. This will inform you of what to include in your claim. You can receive full compensation by filing a claim for a minor bone fracture with your insurance provider. However, a claim against the liable party is sufficient for a severe bone fracture.

At Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorney, we understand how confusing it can be, especially if the compensation from your insurance is insufficient to cover all your medical expenses. We will review the case to advise you on your best options so you can receive full compensation for all your injuries. We will also protect your rights and help you navigate the complex legal process. Call us at 904-800-7557 to discuss your case further.