Slip-and-fall accidents and car crashes are leading causes of broken bones in the Long Island area and across the country, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) says. They also result from overuse, such as in physically demanding jobs that stress muscles and put more stress on bones.
The most serious breaks – such as compound fractures and shattered bones – may require surgery and lengthy, costly recoveries. A person who suffered a broken bone in a Long Island accident that was someone else’s fault may be entitled to pursue a legal claim. Compensation may include payment of medical bills, including long-term care for those with disabling fractures, plus money for lost wages and pain and suffering.
At the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP, our Long Island broken bone injury attorneys aggressively represent victims of fractures and breaks caused by accidents that were not their fault.
Personal injury, handled personally. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Causes of Broken Bones
When pressure is applied to bones, they may bend or give to some extent, but too much force will cause a fracture, the AAOS explains. Fractures can be caused by a single blow, continual pressure or by twisting the bone.
Broken bones are more common among active children and young adults involved in sports. Most adults who sustain a fracture have had an accident – such as a fall in a store or at the workplace, or a car crash – or they are victims of violence.
Elderly adults are more likely to fall and suffer a fracture, such as a broken hip, pelvis, leg, ankle, spine, forearm, upper arm or hand, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Simple fractures may heal easily in a young person, but as people age, broken bones often don’t heal as well. Fractures also cause lost muscle strength in the portion of the body immobilized during treatment. Some patients never totally recover from that loss.
Treating Broken or Fractured Bones
There are several main types of fractures:
- Compound fracture / open fracture, in which the bone may pierce the skin or the initial trauma creates an open wound.
- Impacted / buckle fracture, in which the broken bones are driven into each other.
- Comminuted fracture, in which the bone shatters into three or more pieces.
- Greenstick fracture, in which the bone is bent but not broken through. Children suffer most greenstick fractures because young bones are more flexible.
- Stress fracture caused by overuse, a common workplace injury.
- Stable fracture, which means the broken ends of the bone line up almost in place.
- Femur fracture, is your thighbone and the longest bone in the body. A lot of force is required to break the femur and it is a common injury caused by car accidents.
Common fractures are treated by realigning and immobilizing broken bones with a cast, splint or brace, depending on the severity. After six to eight weeks, the cast is removed, and the patient usually regains full use of the injured body part over several more weeks, sometimes through physical therapy.
A more serious fracture may require pins and screws to hold broken bones together as they heal. Pins and screws outside of the skin (external fixation) may hold the bone in place prior to surgery. In surgery, rods, pins and screws may be placed under the skin (internal fixation) to put a badly damaged bone back together.
A patient with a severe fracture or multiple fractures may be put into traction, a system of weights that slowly realigns broken bones.
A broken hip, for example, usually requires surgery, which may include implanting a full or partial artificial hip. After about a week in the hospital, many patients move to nursing homes or rehab centers. One out of five hip fracture patients of all ages dies within a year of the injury, the CDC says.
When an Accident Causes a Serious Fracture, Contact our Long Island Broken Bone Injury Attorneys
If you have suffered a significant bone fracture, you face an expensive and potentially painful recovery, and perhaps a lasting disability. If your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, such as a reckless driver or a careless business, you may be entitled to money for your losses and your pain and suffering.
Long Island personal injury lawyers Richard Jaffe, Stephen Cohen and their associates at Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP have more than 100 years of combined experience with personal injury litigation. Richard Jaffe is also an experienced EMT who has seen the pain and trauma caused by serious broken bone injuries.
Let us investigate the circumstances of your accident and calculate your losses. With a strong case prepared, we can negotiate with insurers on your behalf and be ready to go to court if necessary.
Call Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP now or fill out our online form for a free consultation if you have suffered a fracture in an accident on Long Island or anywhere nearby. We will respond immediately, and we also make home and hospital visits. Let us deal with legal issues while you focus on getting better.
Sources:
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- WebMD
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For a free legal consultation with a Personal Injury lawyer serving Long Island, call 516-358-6900
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