Fractures and Orthopedic Injuries Commonly Linked to Personal Injury Claims

By Your Health Magazine Contributor

Any type of physical injury can technically lead to a personal injury claim. However, some types of injuries are more commonly seen by law offices. Fractures and orthopedic injuries are very common both because they frequently happen and because they tend to make for more straightforward personal injury claims. If you or a loved one has been injured, it’s useful to know all the details about how fractures and orthopedic injuries can lead to personal injury claims.

Types of Fractures That Often Result in Personal Injury Suits

Overall, the most common types of personal injury claims tend to be issues like car accidents, slip and falls, and unsafe environment accidents. These can cause blunt force trauma to bones, and they can also twist or compress bones to cause fractures. Frequent types of fractures personal injury lawyers encounter include:

Stable fractures: A stable fracture occurs when bones break without becoming misaligned. These are harder to spot than more serious fractures, but they can lead to lingering pain and weakness that have a huge impact on your life.
Compound fracture: Also called an open fracture, these serious fractures involve a bone becoming so misaligned that it pierces the skin. They are very difficult to recover from and can require a lot of physical therapy.
Comminuted fracture: In these fractures, trauma causes the bone to shatter into multiple pieces. Due to the severity of this type of fracture, people typically require surgery to stabilize their bone.
Avulsion fracture: Commonly happening if people twist limbs during falls, these fractures involve a tendon or ligament separating and pulling away a piece of bone. Though the piece of broken bone is often small, it’s a serious and painful injury.
Compression fracture: This type of fracture specifically happens in the spinal column. It involves a vertebra collapsing due to sudden physical trauma. Since compression fractures pinch nerves in the spinal cord, they are very painful.

Types of Orthopedic Injuries That Lead to Personal Injury Claims

Bones are just one of the many essential structures within the human body. People also have a variety of ligaments, muscles, tendons, and joints that can experience damage. Orthopedic injuries can be due to big incidents like car accidents or medical malpractice. They can also occur due to more subtle issues like workplace injury or defective products. Because orthopedic injuries tend to involve multiple systems within your body, they are often more complex to diagnose and treat. Orthopedic problems that frequently lead to personal injury lawsuits include:

Torn rotator cuff: This happens when the joint in the shoulder is stretched at an unnatural angle. It can often require both surgery and physical therapy to treat, and it makes it difficult to use your entire arm and back.
Torn meniscus: If you experience damage to the protective cartilage in your knee, you may find that it becomes very painful or challenging to walk, stand up, and sit down.
Sprains: Sprains occur whenever a ligament is torn. They often happen during accidents or falls, and a serious sprain can take weeks to heal.
Dislocations: Whenever part of a joint becomes disconnected, you can experience a dislocation. Frequently occurring in the shoulder or hip, dislocations are extremely painful. One dislocation puts you at risk for more dislocations, and you might need surgery to stabilize the joint.
Torn ACL: This orthopedic injury happens when a ligament in your knee is torn during a quick twist or turn. It can require weeks of rest, and in some cases, it might even need surgery.

What Should You Do If You Have a Fracture or Orthopedic Injury?

As you can see, there are a lot of types of fractures and orthopedic injuries that are linked to personal injury claims. If you or a loved one has been injured, it’s important to consult with a personal injury lawyer. An attorney can hear your case and let you know whether or not they think you have a claim.

The exact details of how to handle your injury will depend on your case, but typically, documentation is essential. As soon as possible, make sure you see a doctor. A medical examination can pinpoint the cause of your injury and provide useful proof for your legal case. If possible, make sure to get other evidence as well. Your lawyer can help you with this, but even before you get a lawyer, it can be helpful to start collecting things like the phone numbers of any witnesses or the video footage from any nearby security cameras. The more information you have, the easier it is to prove that the other party was responsible for your personal injury.

In addition to showing that someone else’s negligence led to a fracture or orthopedic issue, you’ll also need to show how the injury has affected your daily life. Try to make a note of all the ways that the injury has caused harm to you. This can range from things like medical bills to lost wages during recovery. Fractures and orthopedic injuries can also lead to problems such as lost earning potential, pain and suffering, and missed opportunities. Being able to discuss these issues with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer if you accident involved a motorcycle will help them get an idea of how much money you should request in your personal injury claim.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, a fracture or orthopedic injury can make your life much more difficult. However, you don’t have to suffer in silence. A personal injury lawsuit can make sure the responsible party is held accountable and get you the funds you need for your recovery.