What You Should Know about Fracture Injuries

Car accidents can cause an array of injuries, but one of the most serious injuries that can result from a motor vehicle crash is a bone fracture. Fractures often take months or even years to heal completely, sometimes requiring extensive rehabilitation or time off work to heal. Learn more about fracture injuries below, and contact a Houston car accident lawyer if you’ve suffered a broken bone injury in an accident.

Common fracture injuries resulting from car accidents

There are multiple types of fracture that motor vehicle accident victims can suffer. Different types of fractures can result in different treatment needs and healing times, with some requiring more costly treatment than others. For instance, victims of traffic accidents can experience the following:

• Broken sternum or clavicle: A driver or front-seat passenger may suffer from a break in the bones protecting the chest, often the result of the victim making contact with the steering wheel, dashboard, or even the seat belt.
• Broken ribs: similarly, broken ribs can result from contact with the dashboard, steering wheel, or seat belt. Victims suffering from broken ribs may not realize these bones are broken rather than merely bruised without seeking skilled medical attention.
• Fractures in the spine: These fractures can result from especially traumatic accidents, such as rollover or T-bone collisions.
• Skull fractures: These injuries can result from motorcycle accidents, as well as accidents where the victim was not wearing a restraint at the time of the crash.

Bone fractures can lead to complications

Fractures need immediate medical attention after a crash. While some breaks are obvious or even visible, others may simply feel like a painful bruise or sprain. If an accident victim fails to seek medical attention immediately after a crash or receives negligent medical care, the fracture may go undetected and heal improperly, resulting in what’s known as a malunion of the bone. Additionally, fractures may cause damage to neighboring nerves or blood vessels, causing problems with sensation or circulation. Where a fracture injury requires months or years of physical therapy to heal completely or causes a victim to have to take time off work, victims have a right to seek all the costs of their treatment as well as lost wages in a claim for damages against the negligent driver.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Texas motor vehicle accident, find out if you should file a claim for damages based on these injuries by contacting the knowledgeable, professional, and dedicated Houston personal injury lawyer Charles J. Argento for a free consultation at 713-225-5050.