A broken bone can have a serious impact on your finances, leading to everything from hefty medical bills to weeks of missed work. Most people simply aren’t financially prepared to deal with the consequences of unexpectedly breaking a bone.
For some, a broken bone is a short-term medical issue. However, many others aren’t so fortunate. A broken bone can lead to costly medical complications or even fail to heal properly, potentially leaving you unable to return to work.
If a broken bone leads to financial issues, a personal injury lawyer might be able to help you recover compensation for things like medical bills and lost wages.
What Are Some Common Causes of Broken Bones?
Bones usually break because of trauma. Broken bones are nearly always the result of some type of accident.
Some of the most common accidents that result in broken bones include:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Sports accidents
- Defective products
- Medical malpractice
The specific circumstances that lead to a broken bone usually depend on the type of accident. If you’ve suffered a broken bone, you might be primarily concerned with how the injury is impacting your life. Nonetheless, if you need to recover compensation, how the injury happened is important.
What Are the Different Types of Broken Bones?
Unless you have medical experience, you might be under the impression that a broken bone is a single type of injury. However, bones can break in many different ways. The way your bone breaks directly influences both the treatment method chosen and the long-term healing outcome.
Medical professionals refer to broken bones as “bone fractures.” A bone fracture can be open or closed. Open fractures occur when the bone sticks out through the skin or is otherwise visible. In contrast, closed fractures mean there’s no wound exposing the bone.
Bone fractures are identified by the shape and direction of the break.
Some of the most common types of bone fractures are:
- Comminuted: Broken in three or more pieces, including fragments
- Compression: Crushed
- Greenstick: Partial break
- Oblique: Diagonal break
- Segmental: Broken in two places with a detached section in the middle
- Spiral: Break spirals around the bone
- Transverse: Broken in a straight line
Certain types of breaks are more complicated than others. For example, segmental and comminuted breaks are more difficult to treat than the other types of fractures and can take longer to heal.
What Are Some Potential Treatment Options For a Broken Bone?
The type of broken bone treatment a doctor recommends will depend on the type of fracture experienced. A straightforward fracture usually involves setting the bone, placing it in a splint or cast, and waiting for the bone to heal.
A doctor might then recommend physical or occupational therapy to help restore strength and mobility. On average, a bone fracture without complications can heal in about a month. However, healing times also depend on the size of the broken bone. Smaller bones tend to heal faster, while larger bones require a longer recovery period.
When a bone fracture is more complicated, treatment options might include:
- Surgery
- Internal fixation (placement of rods, screws, plates, or wires)
- Arthroplasty (joint replacement)
- Bone grafting
Bone fractures that require surgical intervention naturally involve much higher medical costs and recovery times. Serious fractures like these also come with a higher risk of long-term effects, like chronic pain or reduced mobility.
What Complications Can Result from a Broken Bone?
Broken bones can lead to additional medical complications. This tends to happen more often when a bone fracture requires surgery, but some complications arise even when surgery isn’t part of the initial treatment.
Some of the most common health complications that can arise with a broken bone include:
- Infection
- Organ or tissue damage
- Stunted growth (in children)
- Deformities (from misalignment)
- Amputation
- Pulmonary embolism
- Deep vein thrombosis
While severe complications related to broken bones are relatively rare, they do happen. Some of these complications are considered to be medical emergencies. They can even result in death without prompt medical intervention.
Who Could Be Liable For a Broken Bone?
Liability refers to who is legally – and therefore financially – responsible for the costs of an accident. Establishing liability for a broken bone is how you get help with your medical bills, lost wages, and other injury costs.
Car accidents and truck accidents are some of the most common sources of broken bones. In this case, the other driver might be liable for your injuries. However, bones frequently break in many other situations as well.
For example, a child’s swing might break, causing the child to fall and break a bone. In this instance, you might be able to pursue compensation through a product liability claim.
Broken bones can even happen under a doctor’s care. One common type of birth injury is a broken collarbone, which can give you grounds for medical malpractice compensation.
Your first priority after a broken bone is to heal. That said, knowing what type of case you have on your hands can guide you toward the type of personal injury lawyer with the experience you need.
Recovering Compensation For a Broken Bone
Personal injury law offers a way to recover compensation for injuries like a broken bone. Qualifying for compensation involves proving that some other party was responsible for your injuries. This is why liability is so important. Without proving liability, it’s difficult to recover compensation.
Once you identify which personal injury lawyer you need to handle your claim, you can attend a consultation. A lawyer will identify whether it is possible to prove liability for your accident. If it is, the lawyer will get to work on your case.
Broken bone compensation can provide you with money for both financial costs and losses related to your injury.
Some of the most common items injured individuals recover compensation for include:
- Medical bills
- Therapist costs
- Assistive devices
- Prescription medications
- Lost wages and benefits
- Pain and suffering
In some cases, broken bone compensation can become complicated. For example, if your injuries are severe, you might be permanently unable to return to work. In such instances, a lawyer will also work to identify your lifetime anticipated wages, as well as any future medical procedures you’ll need. These costs can be included in your personal injury compensation.
Get Help From an Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer If You’ve Sustained Broken Bones in an Accident
A broken bone can have a costly impact on your quality of life. If you’ve broken a bone in Atlanta, Malone Law may be able to help you recover the compensation that you and your family need. Call us today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney.