Though sometimes viewed as minor, broken bone injuries can be severe. Victims of broken bone injuries may experience serious pain, surgeries, physical therapy, and rehabilitation. Severe broken bones can lead to lifetime disabilities and permanent impairments.
If you’ve suffered a broken bone injury caused by another person’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. The New York personal injury attorneys at Dell & Dean, PLLC are prepared to help you understand your legal rights and pursue the full compensation you need and deserve. Victims of personal injury accidents can pursue compensation for their medical expenses, lost income, property damage, pain, suffering, and other damages.
Common Causes of Broken Bone Injuries
Most broken bone injuries are caused by high force impacts, but some can be caused by medical conditions. Falls, motor vehicle accidents, and workplace injuries are among the most common types of severe bone injuries. Regardless of the specific cause of your bone injury, you may have a right to pursue damages against the at-fault party whose negligence caused your bone fracture.
Bone Injuries Caused By Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are a common cause of broken bone injuries in the United States. When a person slips and falls, he or she could experience a broken elbow, wrist, shoulder, hip, back, or spinal cord. When property owners cause or fail to correct dangers on their property within a reasonable amount of time and visitors or customers become injured, they can be held liable for the victims’ damages.
New York is considered a comparative negligence state, meaning at-fault individuals can be held liable for accidents even when the victim is partially responsible for the slip and fall accident. Property owners have a legal duty to regularly inspect the property for unknown dangers and correct the hazard or warn visitors. Some of the most common examples of property owner negligence causing slip and fall injuries include the following:
- Slippery floors
- Parking lots
- Poorly lit areas
- Spills on the floor
- Uneven flooring
- Cluttered store aisles
- Icey or wet steps
- Dangerous staircases
- Broken handrails
- Broken escalators
Bone Fractures Caused by Auto Accidents
No matter how careful you are as a driver, you can become involved in an auto accident with a negligent driver. Many high-impact car accidents lead to bone breaks. Even if you’re able to walk away from the car accident site, you may have sustained injuries. When you’re traveling in a vehicle at 45 miles per hour, the vehicle you are in moves at that speed along with your body.
During a car accident, the vehicle comes to a sudden stop while a person’s body continues traveling forward at high speeds. Victims or car accidents come into contact with the dashboard, airbag, or seats in front of them at a high velocity. Forceful impacts are among the largest causes of broken bones. Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents are most likely to cause the following types of bone fractures:
- Arm fractures
- Wrist fractures
- Tibia and fibula fractures
- Femur fractures
- Clavicle fractures
- Rib fractures
- Pelvis and hip fractures
- Face and skull fractures
What Should I Do After a Bone Injury Accident?
Sometimes victims of serious accidents don’t notice the pain of a bone fracture immediately. If you suspect you’ve suffered a bone injury or another injury, it’s important to receive a medical examination as soon as possible. Some of the most common signs of bone fractures include the following:
- Pain when you place weight on or near the injured area
- Swelling, tenderness, and bruising near the impacted area
- Inability to move a joint
- Trouble standing or putting weight on an area
A medical professional will be able to diagnose your bone fracture and recommend a course of treatment. Treatment may include a cast that holds the bone in place while it heals. However, some fractures can’t be placed in casts, such as pelvis, clavicle, and rib fractures. Healing from these fractures requires rest and rehabilitation. Surgery may be necessary to hold the fracture together with the help of plates, screws, or other devices.
Injuries Covered in Broken Bone Injury Lawsuits
The severity of a person’s bone fracture depends on multiple factors, including the location and type of fracture. Any type of bone fracture or combination of bone fractures can negatively affect a victim’s future. Some of the most common types of bone fractures include:
- Complete fracture: the bone snaps into two pieces in a clean break
- Incomplete fracture: appears when the bone doesn’t snap apart completely
- Communities fracture: the bone breaks into three or more different pieces
- Stable fracture: an easy-to-heal fracture that occurs when a bone breaks, but doesn’t move out of place
- Displaced fracture: the opposite of a stable fracture, this type of fracture happens when a crack occurs and the two pieces of bones no longer aline with each other
- Hairline fracture: this is a stress fracture that occurs when a bone cracks but doesn’t break in half
- Spiral fracture: a break that follows a corkscrew pattern, often caused by slip and fall accident
- Segmental fracture: a bone breaks and at least one piece is left unconnected to another bone
- Greenstick fractures: a bone bends, then cracks, but remains in one piece
- Oblique fracture: the break is characterized by a diagonal line
Compound and Open Bone Fractures
An open fracture is among the most serious types of bone fractures. This type of fracture occurs when a bone comes through a person’s skin and exposes ligaments, internal tissues, or organs. Open fractures are also called compound fractures and are usually caused by accidents that result in high-impact trauma on a victim’s body. Compound fractures can negatively affect other soft tissue as well, resulting in extensive trauma to a person’s muscles, nerves, veins, skin, and tendons.
Discuss Your Bone Fracture Injury Case with a Skilled Attorney
If you’ve suffered a bone fracture in an accident that wasn’t your fault, speaking to an attorney is important. Dell & Dean, PLLC can answer your questions and help you understand your legal options. We have a proven track record of recovering compensation for victims of bone injuries. Don’t hesitate to contact Dell & Dean, PLLC to schedule a complimentary case evaluation.
Dell & Dean, PLLC handles claims throughout Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island as well as the boroughs of New York City, and the surrounding areas.
