Broken Bones or Fractures from Car Accidents

Our Wichita auto accident injury lawyers know how to help you recover maximum compensation

Broken bones or fractures are common injuries from car wrecks. The force of impact during a crash can easily lead to fractures. Medical expenses from having broken bones can add up very quickly. These severe injuries also typically prevent you from working. The experienced auto accident injury lawyers at PISTOTNIK LAW will help you recover the maximum financial compensation you deserve.

What Are the Most Common Bones Broken in Car Wrecks?

A car wreck can break any bone in the body, from your head to your toes. Common types of injuries include legs, arms, hands, hips, ankles, wrists, back and neck. There are different types of fractures – hairline fractures to completely separated comminuted fractures.

Some of the most common types of broken bones in car accidents include:

• Rib fractures
• Sternum fractures
• Hand, arm and wrist fractures
• Foot, leg and ankle fractures
• Skull and facial fractures
• Spinal fractures
• Clavicle (collarbone) fractures
• Hip and pelvic fractures

How Are Broken Bones From Car Accidents Treated?

After being in a wreck, you can feel pain in a certain body part, but you likely won’t know up front if you have a broken bone, except in extreme cases.  To know for sure, you should seek an evaluation at the hospital emergency room.  During the physical examination, a doctor will look for signs of a fracture, such as swelling, bruising, deformity, and tenderness. When a fracture is likely, they should use X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs to determine the type and size of the fracture.

Treatment may involve bracing or casting, or even surgery and hospitalization. The bone might need to be set and immobilized, with a cast or brace. This helps to keep the bone in place, reduce pain, and prevent further injury. When you have a broken bone, obviously you have significant pain, which needs managed. This often involves over-the-counter pain relievers for mild cases and prescription medications for more severe pain.

Surgery may be needed to implant pins, screws, or a plate to set the bone and promote healing. Other treatments may involve medication and eventually, physical therapy. These injuries typically require multiple follow-up visits with doctors.

What Is the Length of Recovery for a Broken Bone After a Car Wreck?

Recovery from a broken bone will take weeks, months or even longer depending on your circumstances and type of injury. There may be long-term effects, such as the development of arthritis, loss of strength, loss of sensation, or failure of the bone to heal. Someone with  a broken leg may walk with a limp or require the use of a cane or crutch.

As a general rule, doctors will tell you it takes six to eight weeks for a bone to fully heal.  During this time frame, you need to be careful to limit use of that body part to allow for quicker healing.   

What Is My Case Worth When I Have a Broken Bone From an Auto Accident?

Every case is different because each person who has a fracture has different damages.  When valuing any injury case, the value is a simple addition problem.  You add up medical bills, lost wages, future medical bills, future wage loss, and noneconomic losses, like pain and suffering, mental anguish, disability, disfigurement, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, etc.  More severe or complex fractures result in higher settlements than simple fractures. This is due to higher costs for emergency care, surgery, hospital stays, medications, medical devices, and ongoing physical therapy.

With fractures, due to the worse nature of these injuries, there are typically claims for wage loss.  Sometimes this can last a long time or even involve ongoing permanent losses of earning capacity in the future. Additionally, you are eligible for pain and suffering and many other types of noneconomic damages. The amount can vary significantly based on the impact your bone fracture has on your life.

Very few cases end up in front of a jury, but if yours does, the jury will receive instructions from the judge on how to value noneconomic loss like pain and suffering: 

“This type of damage includes pain, suffering, disabilities, disfigurement and any accompanying mental anguish suffered by reason of plaintiff’s injuries to date and those plaintiff is reasonably expected to suffer in the future.”  Pattern Instruction of Kansas 171.02.  When considering all damages, the jury also is told:

“In determining the amount of damages you should consider plaintiff’s age, condition of health before and after, and the nature, extent and duration of the injuries.  For such items as pain, suffering, disability, and mental anguish, there is no unit value and no mathematical formula the court can give you.  You should allow such sum as will fairly and adequately compensate plaintiff.  The amount to be allowed rests within your sound discretion.”  Pattern Instruction of Kansas 171.02.

As a general rule, the value of pain and suffering awarded by juries or negotiated in settlements with insurance companies, is related to the amount of medical bills incurred.  The more your bills, typically, the more money you will get for pain and suffering.

The attorneys at Pistotnik law will accurately add up your damages to determine your expected case value.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer for a Broken Bone Injury Claim?

The simple answer is you will end up with more money, even after attorney fees and expenses are factored in.  You also get reassurance that you are doing the right thing and protecting yourself from insurance tactics that often result in injured people getting taken advantage of. People have a common misunderstanding that insurance companies are supposed to help, but the reality is they are not working for you. They are in business to make money, so they’ll try to pay you as little as possible to help increase their profits.

Insurance adjusters are trained professionals and their training is specifically designed to pay you less to allow the insurance company to profit more.

Our injury lawyers know the tactics that insurance adjusters use to pay victims less then they deserve. We level the playing field. Our injury lawyers are committed to helping you recover the maximum compensation possible for your injuries involving a broken bone.

Call Us Now for a Free Consultation

Our job is to build strong cases by investigating your car accident, gathering evidence, and getting the facts, not just on how the wreck occurred, but also to substantiate your injuries and damages.

Our firm has been helping the injured in the Wichita area since 1987. During that time, we’ve developed a stron reputation as a law firm that gets results. That is why we are able to negotiate a settlement with the insurance companies that fully compensates you.

Our initial consultation is free and if we do represent you, there are no up front fees or other charges. We work on a contingency fee basis which means you owe us nothing unless we win. We pay for the expenses of pursuing your case. If we don’t recover compensation for you, we don’t get paid.

If you suffered a broken bone injury in a Wichita or Kansas auto accident, learn more about how we can help. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with an experienced car accident injury attorney.