As premium Vidalia car accident lawyers, we understand that being involved in a car crash can be a severe inconvenience. However, it’s worse when the accident leaves you with injuries, like fractures. A fracture is a break in the bone, and depending on the treatment a person receives could have life-altering consequences.
Thus, car occupants must know the type of fracture they’ll likely sustain in a car accident. Since this injury requires medical treatment and, in some cases, physical therapy, victims incur substantial medical bills and deserve compensation. Our Vidalia accident attorneys at The Weinstein Firm can help you get the maximum compensation from the fault party.
How Do Car Wrecks Cause Fractures?
There are several ways people break bones. Common types of broken bones range from minor stress fractures to severe and life-threatening compound fractures. In addition, broken bones qualify as a traumatic injury, common in auto accidents, sports accidents, and falls.
When an external force hits your vehicle in a car crash scenario, the inertia creates a rapid and violent jerking motion. It goes back and forth within your car. For example, let’s consider a head-on collision where your vehicle traveled at 35 miles per hour. When the vehicle collides with another car or object, it abruptly stops.
However, your body keeps moving and is thrown at 35 miles per hour forward. This causes your arms, legs, neck, and hand to thrust forward and backward in a split moment. Thus, this jerking action could lead to you fracturing your bones.
What Are the Common Types of Fractures?
There are many different types of fractures, and each requires a different technique and procedure to repair the damage. Below are the most common types:
- Displaced fracture: the bone breaks into two or more pieces and moves out of alignment
- Non-displaced fracture: the break does not make the bone move out of alignment
- Closed fracture: here, the skin does not break
- Open fracture: the bone breaks through the skin. It is usually a medical emergency and requires urgent attention to prevent long-term damage like disfigurement and infection.
What Are the Common Car Accident Fractures?
The adult human body contains 206 bones, including bones of the skull, ribs, spine, arms, and legs. Chances are, in an accident, you can break one or more of these bones. Below, we look at some of the most common bones that break in a car crash.
Arm Fracture
It’s human nature to try to brace yourself for a collision by instinctively putting your arms in front of you. Then when you move due to the crash’s impact, the bones in the arm may likely break. The excellent news about arm fractures is that they heal fast and well when placed in a cast.
Wrist Fractures
The wrist contains many fragile bones that break easily. Wrist fractures like arm fractures happen when you brace yourself for the crash’s impact. They also occur when the wrist is caught in the wrong place and crushed in some way. Thankfully, they heal as quickly as they break.
Tibia/Fibula Fractures
When the front part of the car gets crushed, the legs are susceptible to fractures. This is the case where the accident leaves the leg trapped between the dashboard and the floor. While the crash impact determines the severity of this wound, tibia and fibula fractures heal with casts. However, you may need surgery in some cases and physical therapy.
Femur Fractures
The femur (thigh bone) is one of the strongest bones in the body but it still gets fractured in a car crash. A fractured femur will likely happen when the car crumples or when bracing for impact. In addition, the thigh bone takes time to heal because of its thickness.
Clavicle Fractures
The clavicle (collarbone) is quite fragile and breaks easily. This is because it is close to the seatbelt, and the belt applies pressure in an accident. Unlike some of the bones we’ve discussed, you cannot put the clavicle in a cast. But you can put your arm in one to avoid movement, and physical therapy helps the collarbone heal faster.
Other common car crash fractures include:
- Rib fractures caused by seatbelts and airbag impacts
- Back fractures are common in rear-end collisions and result in fractured discs
- Hip fractures that affect one’s ability to move
- Pelvis fractures but more common in motorcycle accidents
- Face fracture when the head strikes the windshield on impact
Get Help From Experienced Vidalia Auto Accident Attorneys!
At The Weinstein Firm, our lawyers understand the impact a fracture can have on your life. So, we’ll do all we can within the law to get you financial compensation. Contact us today for a free case review.
