Many people think of broken bones as minor injuries that heal with no detrimental effects. While that may be true for some fractures, in many cases – particularly when broken bones stem from a motor vehicle accident or other traumatic event – the injuries often require extensive surgery, cause extensive pain, and lead to permanent disabilities.

If you suffered broken bones in an incident that occurred because someone was acting irresponsibly or failed to take appropriate steps to protect you, then you could be entitled to compensation to offset your losses, including the pain and suffering you endure and the way it impacts your life.

The compassionate and dedicated attorneys at Searcy Denney understand how difficult it can be to recover from broken bone injuries. We work to recover resources to meet your needs now and in the future and to help you gain damages to help make up for losses you have suffered.

Types of Bone Fractures

Bones are complex organisms with an intricate structure. They can be subject to fracture in different ways. While simple fractures may heal with basic medical care, other types of fractures require severe medical intervention with a long and painful recovery period. Still, others can never fully be repaired.
Some of the more common types of bone fractures include:

• Stable or simple fractures: In this situation, the ends of the bone at the breakpoint are closely aligned, and the break is straight.
• Compound or open fractures: These injuries involve an open wound, usually caused when the broken bone pierces the skin or when an impact breaks the skin at the same time as the bone. Often but not always, the bone is visible in the wound in an open fracture.
• Transverse fractures: These fractures have a horizontal fracture line so they can be much more extensive than a simple fracture.
• Oblique fractures: These injuries involve fractures that occur with an angled pattern that may angle in different directions and can be hard to stabilize.
• Comminuted fracture: This situation results in bone shattering into three or more pieces. It can be impossible for this type of fracture to heal properly, particularly when bones have been crushed.

Personal injury lawyers know that certain types of fractures are more likely to result in different accident situations. For instance, comminuted or crush fractures are common in t-bone motor vehicle accidents where the front of one vehicle directly hits the driver or passenger of another vehicle.

Incidents That Commonly Lead to Broken Bones

People of all ages suffer bone fractures due to a wide variety of causes. While repetitive motion and continual stress on bones can lead to fractures, in many cases, the damage to bones is caused by a sudden traumatic event, such as a car accident, where the vehicles collide with sudden force. The bodies of drivers and passengers absorb the impact of striking surfaces in their own vehicles, and sometimes, vehicles or obstacles intrude on their space from outside.

Broken bones are also common in:

• Truck accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Slip and fall incidents
• Motorcycle and bicycle accidents
• Defective product cases
• Nursing home neglect and abuse
• Boating accidents
• Tripping over hazards that are hard to detect
• Animal attacks

Any impact can result in broken bones, and sudden impacts are often caused by unexpected situations, such as when someone has spilled a slippery substance on a floor, and someone else slips and falls because those responsible failed to take steps to clean up the spill or warn others about the danger of slipping.

Liability for Broken Bones

When a bone fracture could have been prevented with responsible behavior, then the person who suffered the injuries may be entitled to compensation. In many cases, broken bones are the result of someone’s negligence. If the negligence is all on the part of the person who was hurt, then there is usually no grounds for seeking damages, but when it is another person’s negligence that causes a broken bone, then the injured individual may be entitled to damages if they can prove that negligence.

Proving liability for broken bones involves demonstrating that:

• The responsible person had an obligation to watch out for the safety of the person who was hurt
• The responsible person did not act in the way they should have
• The actions of the responsible person caused harm to the person who was hurt
• The person who was hurt suffered injuries that can be observed

To see how this works in real life, let’s consider a car accident situation where a driver who was texting hit another vehicle, and the impact crushed the vertebrae of the passenger in another vehicle. All drivers owe a duty to others on the road to follow applicable laws and pay attention to the task of driving. That satisfied the first element. Second, by texting while driving, the driver failed to fulfill the duty they owed to the passenger. Third, that failure caused the driver to hit the vehicle in which the passenger was riding, so the lack of responsibility caused the broken bones. Fourth and finally, the broken bones can be observed in X-rays, and the reports of doctors demonstrate how severe the injuries were. Medical records show how much medical care was required to help heal the bones. If there are long-term effects, which is frequently the case in broken bone injuries, then testimony from the victim and other evidence can be used to demonstrate how the injuries will affect the victim’s life going forward.

Get the Compensation You Deserve When Someone’s Negligence Caused Broken Bone Injuries

At Searcy Denney, we know that even a simple bone fracture can impact your ability to work and perform the tasks of daily living, causing you to miss out on opportunities that will never come again. We work to ensure that you receive fair compensation for your losses, including those lost opportunities and the suffering and anguish you have endured. In addition, we want to ensure that you have the resources you need to offset effects in the future.

If you have suffered broken bones in a slip and fall, motor vehicle accident, or other situation that could have been prevented if only someone had behaved properly, our team is ready to help you gain full and fair compensation for your losses. Contact us online or call us today at 888-549-7011 2to schedule a free consultation to find out what your claim may be worth and the many ways we can help you achieve full recovery.