Helping Crash Victims Recover As Fully As Possible From Bone Fractures

Even with air bags and other safety features, the tremendous forces in a motor vehicle collision often cause broken bones, which are known in the medical community as fractures. Simple fractures usually heal quickly, while other more complicated bone breaks require surgery or have a longer recovery. Unfortunately, sometimes there are permanent complications and an accident victim never fully regains their strength or range of motion after the accident.

At the Law Offices of Ira M. Perlman, P.C. & Robert D. Rosen, P.C., you are represented by highly experienced lawyers who are familiar with the medical and legal aspects of all orthopedic injuries. We work to ensure clients get proper medical services to heal as fully as possible from bone fractures and maximum compensation for the losses, hardships and lasting effects.

Types Of Fractures

Fractures can be open or closed. If your skin breaks open due to a fracture, doctors will often refer to it as an open or compound fracture. Most often, this wound is caused by a fragment of bone breaking through the skin at the time of the injury. If the bone does not break through the skin, this is sometimes referred to as a closed fracture.

A stable fracture involves a crack in the bone but leaves most of the bone intact and in a normal and correct position. Sometimes, this is referred to as a non-displaced fracture.

When a fracture is displaced, the crack in the bone causes the bone to move where there is no longer an alignment and the broken parts are not lined up straight. Often surgery will be needed to realign the broken bones so the affected area can heal properly.

If there is a twisting movement in an accident which causes a break, there may be a spiral-shaped fracture of the bone which is known as a spiral fracture.

When a fracture is referred to as being comminuted, this refers to a bone that is broken into more than two fragments which can occur with considerable force and energy after high impact trauma such as a motor vehicle accident or a fall. This type of fracture often requires surgery so that the bone can be restructured to its normal anatomy.

Wide Experience With Fractures In Accidents

Our personal injury team has handled fractures/broken bones in every type of vehicle accident, including intersection and rear-end car crashes, collisions with trucks and commercial vehicles, motorcycle accidents, pedestrians and bike riders struck by cars, and people injured as passengers of buses and taxicabs. Each of these scenarios involves complicated legal and insurance issues, and we are familiar with the common injuries in different types of collisions.

We work closely with victims, their families and medical providers to understand the extent of the injury and the prognosis for recovery, and to document both the medical progress and personal suffering. From years of experience, our attorneys have dealt with all types of bone fractures in motor vehicle collisions, including:

• Broken legs – When the front end of the car crumples in a crash, the lower limbs often get crushed, trapped or fractured, which may include compound fractures, displaced fractures, comminuted fractures or multiple fractures to one or both legs. The lower leg is made up of the tibia and fibula bones, with the tibia being the larger of these two lower leg bones. The tibia and fibula bones are vulnerable to injury in a motor vehicle accident.

• Broken pelvis and hip fractures – Motorcycle riders, bicycle riders and pedestrians are especially vulnerable to these serious injuries, which may require traction, body casts and/or artificial hip replacement and months of rehabilitation.

• Spinal fractures – Rear-end collisions commonly result in serious back injuries, including lumbar vertebrae fractures (lower back), often leading to lifelong disability or chronic back problems.

• Cervical fractures – What may seem at first to be “only” whiplash may in fact be a fracture in the upper vertebrae of the neck. These injuries can lead to long-term pain and permanent impairment if not properly diagnosed and treated. Do yourself a favor by going to the doctor if you have any neck pain from an accident.

• Sternum fractures and broken ribs – When a driver’s chest is crushed against the steering column in a front-end crash, the breastbone and ribcage may suffer fractures and cartilage damage, which often means surgical wiring and a long and painful recovery.

• Facial fractures – When a person’s face hits the steering wheel, dashboard, door frame or seatback, they may suffer a broken nose, broken jaw or orbital fracture (eye socket).

Virtually any of the bones in the body can be fractured in a crash. Bike riders may break their wrists, collarbone or shoulders in the fall to the pavement after the initial collision. Bus passengers have no seatbelts or airbags to protect them. In a rollover accident, arms, ankles and everything is vulnerable. Sometimes fractures go undetected at first because of other pressing injuries such as head trauma or deep lacerations.

A Thorough And Compassionate Approach To Your Recovery

If you have suffered serious orthopedic injuries from a car accident, the Law Offices of Ira M. Perlman, P.C. & Robert D. Rosen, P.C. provides the attentive service and aggressive advocacy you deserve. We know how to hold the negligent parties accountable. We work to make sure that your damages from a broken bone accident are fully reflected, including compensation for:

• Hospital bills and medical treatment
• Future medicals such as surgery or physical therapy
• Lost wages and (if applicable) loss of earning capacity
• Permanent impairment or disfigurement
• Pain and suffering, including residual pain in the fractured bone
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Reach Out Today

If you’ve never needed legal representation before, we pride ourselves on being lawyers you can actually talk to. We will answer your questions and put you at ease. To arrange a free consultation, call our Manhattan law office at 212-668-0100 or contact us by email.