Globally, millions of people suffer broken bones each year. Fractured bones can range in severity, but they all typically require care. In turn, that can lead to medical expenses and lost wages if you’re unable to perform your regular work duties.
If your injuries have occurred because of another party’s negligent or wrongful conduct, one option you have for recovering losses is to file a personal injury claim. Learn more about fractures and how a Dallas personal injury lawyer can help.
Understanding Broken Bones
A bone breaks or fractures when a force exerted against it is stronger than it can withstand. This impacts the strength and structure of the bone and can lead to pain, a loss of function, and even broken skin and bleeding at the injury site.
There are a variety of fracture types. Simple (closed) fractures are those in which the broken bone doesn’t pierce through the skin, while compound (open) fractures do result in the bone jutting out through the skin. Greenstick fractures are small, slender cracks in the bone and typically occur in children because they have more flexible bones.
The most common type of broken bone is a stress fracture, also known as a hairline fracture. These injuries tend to occur when you put stress on the bone and often impact the foot or lower leg.
When tendons are wrenched free and pull out pieces of bone, you can suffer an avulsion fracture. It’s more common in the shoulder and knee joints. Another type of broken bone is a compression fracture, which occurs when two bones slam into one another. These are frequently seen in back injuries.
Some of the most complicated fractures are comminuted ones, which occur when a bone is shattered into many small pieces. These can take months to heal. If a broken bone damages veins, nerves, muscles, or other structures, it becomes something called a complicated fracture.
Symptoms Of Bone Fractures
The exact location of the bone will impact the symptoms you may experience.
The most common ones include:
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Pain
- A bump or change in the area
- Inability to move that body part
- Discoloration or bruising
In some instances, after an accident, you won’t necessarily know that you have a hairline fracture and may only notice pain days later. That’s why it’s essential to be assessed by a medical professional immediately after a collision.
Common Causes Of Broken Bones
Traumatic accidents like falls are a leading cause of broken bones. Slip and fall accidents can cause your bones to twist too far beyond their capabilities or make you land with enough force to break or even shatter the bone.
Falls can occur anywhere and for many reasons, including:
- Wet floors
- Improper lighting
- Broken staircase railings
- Uneven flooring
- Bunched-up rugs or carpets
- Debris
Some of the most serious falls result in broken spinal vertebrae. They put you at risk of suffering a paralyzing spinal cord injury.
Traffic accidents are another common cause of broken bones. When you’re traveling on the highway, an impact forces your car to come to an abrupt stop, and your body is still traveling at rapid highway speed. You will hit the steering wheel, dashboard, or even the airbag with that amount of force. This can easily lead to broken bones.
Crush injuries in traffic accidents can also cause fractures. These typically involve larger vehicles, like commercial trucks or cars traveling at significant speeds.
Workplace accidents are another cause of broken bones. They are common in construction sites, where employees are exposed to heavy machinery, tools, and materials. Additionally, you can suffer broken bones from stress injuries, so performing repetitive tasks can lead to weakening bones.
Personal Injury Claims After Suffering Bone Fractures
You may be entitled to file a personal injury claim and receive compensation if you have suffered a fracture because of someone else’s conduct. These claims allow you to recover losses. To do so, however, you must demonstrate that the other party behaved negligently.
Proving negligence requires you to show that the other party had a duty of care toward you. If you were in a car accident, the other driver automatically owed you and everyone else on the road a duty of care to act in accordance with the rules of the road. If you fell at a grocery store because of wet floors, the property owner owed you a duty of care to maintain safe premises.
Once you establish the duty of care, you must show that the other party breached it. In a car accident, if the driver operated a vehicle while intoxicated, that would violate their responsibility toward you. You’ll then have to prove the breach caused injuries, for which you can be compensated. If you broke a bone, you’ll need medical care, and that makes you eligible for compensation.
It’s not always as simple as it sounds to prove negligence, however. If there are many parties involved or disputes about who did what, insurance companies may not offer the settlement you need. That is one of the many reasons why hiring an attorney is vital.
How Dallas Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
Experienced personal injury lawyers can begin helping you by investigating the accident that led to your injuries. They will gather evidence to present a robust case and speak with witnesses, including expert witnesses.
Vitally, attorneys also have years of experience negotiating with insurance companies. Insurers always try to protect their own interests, so they will do their best to place the blame on you or minimize the losses you suffered. An attorney will know all of the tactics that insurers use and will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
If the insurer refuses to offer a reasonable settlement, your attorney can also file a lawsuit and take your claim to court. You should never attempt to represent yourself in a court proceeding.
Trust Experienced Dallas Representation
If you’ve suffered broken bones as a result of an accident caused by someone else’s negligent conduct, you may be entitled to receive compensation. By hiring skilled Texas personal injury lawyers, you can get the guidance you deserve.
At Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers, you can receive assistance from attorneys with years of experience. We offer compassionate and dedicated help to those who need it most. Contact our team to schedule a free consultation.
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Dallas, TX, contact us for more information, please contact the experienced Dallas car accident lawyers at Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers today. We offer free consultations, call us at (214) 556-8321.