Bone Fracture Injuries: What You Should Know

Bone fractures can be extremely serious injuries. Broken bones can require that victims spend months wearing a cast or a protective boot or sleeve, as well as additional time and money to rehabilitate the broken limb. Read on to learn more about fractures received in accidents, and how a personal injury claim could help you recover the money you need to cover the costs of a broken bone injury.

New York is a no-fault car insurance state, which means that traffic accident victims are unable to file a lawsuit in court against those responsible for an accident unless injuries are classified as “serious.” There are only a few forms of injury that meet the law’s classification as “serious,” and fracture is among them. This fact alone provides an indication of the extensive cost and severity of the average fracture. Since bones in a healthy individual are actually very difficult to break, fractures only occur in the most serious of motor vehicle collisions or falls, and fracture victims are also likely to have suffered additional serious injuries in the accident, as well.

Common fracture injuries include the following:

• Broken wrists, arms and elbows are often the result of falls. Fall victims often instinctively extend their arms to catch themselves when they fall, which can injure the victim’s joints or arm.
• Broken ribs can occur as the result of a motor vehicle accident. Often ribs are damaged when the driver’s torso is slammed into the steering wheel, or can be damaged through especially forceful contact with a seatbelt.
• Broken clavicle or sternum: These injuries also result from contact between a vehicle passenger and the steering wheel, dashboard, or seatbelt of a car.
• Fractures in the spinal discs or neck: When fall victims land on their back, they can suffer fractures to bones in the neck or back.
• Skull fractures can occur in particularly serious falls and car accidents, and pose a serious threat to the life of the victim.
• After an accident, it is important to see a doctor right away. Certain fractures will not be obvious to the naked eye. Some fracture victims believe that they have only experienced a bruise or laceration. However, swelling and bruising can also indicate a bone break. Without immediate attention, broken bones can set in a poor position, resulting in a malunion or nonunion of the fracture and requiring the need for subsequent surgery to reset the fracture. Even when a fracture is properly set, victims often require rehabilitation to rebuild the muscle in the limb that was immobilized while the bone healed. These treatments can be costly, but expenses may be covered by a successful claim for personal injury damages.

If you’ve been injured in an accident in New York, find out if you’re a good candidate for a personal injury lawsuit by contacting the seasoned and knowledgeable Poughkeepsie personal injury lawyers at the Law Office of Taran M. Provost, PLLC for a consultation, at 845-675-3243, with an additional office in Mahopac.