Common Broken Bones and Fractures Caused by Car Accidents

There are few things in the world that can cause such wide-ranging, extensive injuries in a person as a motor vehicle accident. Simply put, the human body was not meant to withstand the force and trauma generated by a car collision.

In addition to whiplash and other soft tissue-related injuries, broken bones rank at the top of the list for the types of trauma suffered by our clients. Boulton Law Group has witnessed a variety of fractures caused by a car accident. This includes clients who have sustained severe compound fractures as well as victims who were unaware of their broken bone until they were examined at the ER.

In addition to their severity, the location of a particular bone will also play a crucial role in your case. Some breaks may cause long-lasting or permanent effects on your health and quality of life, while other breaks heal more rapidly, enabling you to return to your previous state of health.

Which bones are most likely to be broken in a serious car accident?

The violence of a car accident leaves every bone in the human body susceptible to injury, however, the most common breaks our firm helps clients with include the following:

Wrist breaks and fractures

There are 27 bones that make up the human hand. Eight of these are smaller bones (known as carpal bones), located in our wrist. Due to their smaller size and delicate nature, wrist bones are especially vulnerable to serious injury during a car accident.

A majority of victims who suffer wrist breaks will attempt to brace themselves immediately before the collision. Drivers may tense up with both hands on the wheel, or a passenger may try to brace themselves by putting their hands against the dash. Depending on the force of the collision, the end result can lead to a broken wrist with multiple bone breaks.

Additionally, depending on whether a seatbelt or a rollover was involved, victims may be thrown about the car, striking their hand/wrist on an interior part of the vehicle.

Lower leg breaks and fractures

Car accident victims involved in a significant collision run the risk of sustaining broken bones in one or both of their legs.

Emergency and rescue workers who treat accident victims at the scene will sometimes be forced to extract a victim from a car with tools like the “jaws of life.” In these instances, a crumpled car or truck essentially traps a person in their vehicle, often times crushing lower extremities, e.g., legs.

The lower leg is made up of two bones known as the tibia (larger bone known as the shin bone, located below the kneecap) and fibula (smaller bone, located below the kneecap.)

In the event that either of these bones are broken, surgery and/or hardware may be required to repair the fracture and help ensure any permanent damage is limited.

Upper leg breaks and fractures

Similar to lower leg bones, the femur is the single upper bone in a person’s leg that can sustain significant damage in a serious car or truck accident. The main difference between the femur and lower leg bones rests in its strength. It is one of the strongest bones in the human body.

However, despite the strength of a femur bone, it is not immune to breaks or fractures, especially in a forceful collision, or one involving a semi-truck. In the event that a person suffers a broken femur, immediate emergency care is essential, as the results can be life-threatening.

Our clients that have suffered femur breaks often require surgery in addition to intense physical therapy. Depending on the outcome of treatment, there have been instances where permanent damage was sustained. In these cases, attorney Boulton will discuss with you how this type of injury may increase the value of your claim.

Arm breaks and fractures

Each person has three major bones that make up their arm: humerus, radius and ulna.

The humerus is the upper bone that runs from the shoulder socket to the elbow. And while it is the strongest of a person’s arm bones, we have witnessed several clients who have sustained serious damage to the humerus. In most instances, the victim was bracing immediately before impact, or suffered a break by hitting their arm on something inside the vehicle.

The radius and ulna are the two lower arm bones that extend from a person’s elbow to their thumb-side (radius) and pinky-side (ulna). The majority of accident victims who suffer a broken arm will have fractures in one or both of these bones, given their proximity to the hand and wrist, which absorb the most force during a collision.

Facial breaks and fractures

There are a total of 14 bones in the human face, many of which are delicate and especially vulnerable in the event of a car accident.

The majority of victims who suffer facial fractures were found to not being wearing a seatbelt, however, we have also represented clients who sustained a facial fracture from the force of an airbag, or impact from a side-collision. In short, there is no guarantee that a person will not suffer a facial fracture if the collision is especially violent.

The most common facial bones to be affected by a car accident include the nose, orbital bones, cheek bones, and jaw.

Depending on the severity of the facial fracture and long-term prognosis, these injuries can play a significant role in determining the value of your personal injury claim.

Broken and/or fractured ribs

Ribs account for some of the most common and painful broken bones a person can sustain in a car accident. There are numerous factors in a car accident that can lead to broken ribs, but it is not unheard of for seatbelts and airbags to be a contributing cause.

Unfortunately, because of their positioning in our body, broken ribs have a limited number of treatment options. However, in the event that a rib punctures a lung, emergency medical care is critical, as it may require immediate surgery to ensure there are no life-threatening consequences.

Due to the pain of broken ribs, these fractures are given high priority by Boulton Law Group while analyzing the value of your claim.

Ask a broken bone injury lawyer about your rights

In most instances, accident claims involving broken bones can prove to be especially valuable cases. The insurance company also knows this and will try to limit its liability in any manner possible. This is why the Boulton Law Group highly recommends that you consult with an experienced Indiana personal injury lawyer before attempting to settle your claim.

Attorney Boulton has more than 20+ years experience in helping car accident victims throughout Indiana settle serious injury claims, including several that involved various broken bones.

If your car accident left you with a broken bone, our firm will provide you with a Zero Fee Guarantee. This means there is never a fee or charge to discuss your rights or learn the value of your broken bone case. The only time Boulton Law Group receives payment for its legal services is if we make a recovery on your behalf.

To speak to attorney Boulton at no cost, you can contact him direct at 317-350-2680. You can also write to us with the details of your potential case, by using our confidential contact form.