Broken Bone Injury Lawyer in Raleigh, NC
Broken bones are common injuries in accidents. Falls, car accidents, motorcycle crashes premises liability accidents, nursing home accidents, and workplace injuries can all cause bone fractures. These injuries can disrupt your life and lead to short or long-term disability. Some broken bones require surgery and months of physical therapy to heal properly.
If an accident wasn’t your fault, you might be entitled to seek compensation from the person or company that was to blame for your injury. A personal injury attorney can review the details of your accident and help you assess your legal options.
The last thing you need to do while recovering from bone fractures is fight with insurance companies to receive fair compensation. The Raleigh broken bone lawyers at Hardison & Cochran can handle your injury claim while you focus on your physical recovery. We will review your case and offer a plan of action. Contact us today for your free consultation.
What Are the Symptoms of a Bone Fracture?
Pressure or blunt force trauma can cause bones to break. Any break is a fracture. It can be difficult to distinguish between a broken bone and a dislocated joint. Both are emergencies that need immediate medical attention.
After a bone fracture, a person could experience any of the following symptoms:
- Swelling, bleeding, or bruising
- Tingling and numbness
- Pain
- Bone protrusions from skin
- Internal bleeding
- Shock
- Misshapen limbs
- Limited mobility or range of motion
- Inability to put weight on a limb
Common Types of Bone Fractures
All fractures are either open or closed. A closed or simple fracture occurs when a bone breaks, but the skin remains intact. Open or compound fractures poke through the skin and expose the bone. Stress fractures can arise from repetitive activities such as running, jogging, or even using a computer keyboard.
Other names that describe fractures include:
- Greenstick – A fracture of this kind affects one side of the bone. It causes the other side of the bone to bend.
- Compression – This type of break refers to crushed bones and gives a flat or wide appearance.
- Transverse – This clean break forms a straight line across the bone.
- Spiral – This fracture happens in twisting injuries and spirals around the bone.
- Oblique – This break runs diagonally across a bone.
- Segmental – When a bone fractures in two places, leaving a floating piece of bone, it is called a segmental fracture.
- Comminuted – A fracture broken into three or more pieces with fragments at the fracture site is a comminuted fracture.
Each of these fractures requires different treatments and healing time. Compression and spiral fracture are often complex to treat, while transverse fractures are easy to set.
What To Do Immediately If You Have Broken Bones Injuries After a Car Accident
After any type of accident, you should seek medical attention. There are many ways to break a bone in a car accident, including bracing for impact, hitting a steering wheel or windshield, or slamming your knee against the dashboard. See a doctor immediately if you suspect you have a broken bone.
Most bone fractures are closed, so you might not be able to see them. The adrenaline rush after an accident may keep you from feeling pain, so you may decide not to see a doctor right away. If you feel pain and have trouble moving, that is a medical emergency.
During a thorough post-accident examination, your doctor will document what happened to you and order diagnostic tests to identify any injuries. It can take days for the symptoms of an accident to be apparent. Waiting too long after a fracture impedes healing and could leave you vulnerable to infection, depending on the type of break.
Once you see the doctor, follow the treatment plan the doctor recommends and keep your follow-up appointments. Doctors may prescribe pain medication to help you feel comfortable and allow you to get the rest to recover.
You may also require surgery. Surgeons can use specific techniques to put bones back into place, using rods and pins to stabilize broken bones.
More severe breaks often need traction, which is a series of pulleys, strings, and weights attached to a frame over the bed. Skin traction stretches the tendons and muscles around a broken bone to promote better healing. Skeletal traction requires pins, wires, or screws to be inserted into the broken bone. Weights are attached to pull the bone into the right position.
As you heal, document your experience and pain. Record all your medical appointments, the medication you’re taking, and your pain level each day. Make notes about how your injury affects your ability to perform your usual daily activities.
Stay off social media. Although you may want to update your friends and family about your accident and condition, don’t do it on social media. Insurance companies may find your posts and find ways to use your comments to call into question your claim.
How Is Liability Determined in a Car Accident for Broken Bone Cases?
You will need to prove that your broken bone resulted from someone else’s negligent behavior to collect compensation.
North Carolina law requires that you prove the following:
- Duty – The other party owed you a duty to act reasonably to avoid harming you. For example, all motorists owe a duty to other motorists to obey traffic laws and take reasonable precautions to avoid jeopardizing the safety of others.
- Breach of duty – The other party breached the duty they owed you by acting negligently under the circumstances.
- Actual loss – The other party’s breach of duty was the direct cause of the accident, and you were injured in the accident.
Negligence in car accidents often involves driving recklessly. Speeding or driving under the influence are examples of reckless behavior. Other types of negligence arise from breaking traffic laws, such as disobeying signs or signals, driving the wrong way down a one-way street, or passing other vehicles improperly.
Evidence of negligence can include the following:
- Traffic tickets
- Faulty equipment
- Witness testimony
- Videos of reckless driving
- Police report
Our broken bone injury attorneys know how to find evidence and contact witnesses to develop your personal injury case after a serious accident that causes broken bones.
How Much Compensation Can You Get for a Broken Bone Injury Claim?
Factors that help determine your amount of compensation include:
- Body parts affected by the broken bone
- The severity of the injury
- Whether impairments are temporary or permanent
- The presence of other physical injuries
- Mental or emotional distress
- Medical treatment received by the patient
- Medical expenses related to the injury
- Effects on daily activities, hobbies, and overall enjoyment of life
- Effects on relationships
- Limitations caused by the fracture
- The diagnosis and prognosis given by treating physicians
Bone fractures range from mild to complex. It is difficult to assess an exact value since each case is unique.
The most complex injuries may require more extensive medical treatment and lead to larger settlements. After any bone fracture that leaves you unable to work, you may need compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Why Choose Hardison & Cochran for Your Broken Bone Injury?
Our law firm has been in business for more than 30 years and is a well-established firm with the resources to pursue your claim. We work as a team from start to finish of each case and seek the best possible results for our clients.
We maintain a network of professionals, including investigators, expert medical witnesses, accident reconstruction engineers, financial analysts, and others, to investigate an accident and gather evidence to develop your case. If an injury leaves you permanently disabled, the testimony of medical specialists and financial planners can help us build a strong case that projects your future financial and personal losses related to the accident.
Our attorneys deal directly with our clients when they have questions. They do not hide behind staff and avoid phone calls. You can expect a call back the same day unless your attorney is in a trial or hearing. Then we will call back as soon as possible.
We take all our cases on a contingency fee basis. You won’t pay us any money upfront. We don’t get paid unless we are successful in securing compensation for you. When we succeed in securing an insurance settlement or jury award, we take an agreed-upon percentage of the amount we obtain for you to cover our legal fee and expenses. You never owe us money unless you get compensation.
Contact Us for an Appointment with Our Experienced North Carolina Attorneys
You do not need to file a claim and argue with insurance companies when trying to heal. The broken bone injury lawyers at Hardison & Cochran can handle that on your behalf and pursue the compensation you need. Contact us today for a free consultation.
