Most of us have broken a bone at some point in our lives. Some have broken or fractured more bones than others, but for the most part, it’s a common experience. Since it’s such a typical occurrence, we might not always take a broken bone as seriously as we should.
When you experience a high-impact break, many things can go wrong that make the break a more serious injury. While millions of people break a bone every year, around 300 of those cases are compound fractures, according to an article published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
A compound fracture, also known as an open fracture, is when the skin is punctured by the bone, exposing the wound to the outside air. This is when a broken bone becomes the most dangerous because there are risks for many complications. Whether you were injured in a car crash, while playing a sport, or in a slip and fall accident, you could use a lawyer for your case. Before we discuss legal action, let’s take a look at when a broken bone can be a more serious injury.
Bone Fracture Complications
When your body collides with a fixed or moving object, your risk of injury is pretty high. While these injuries could be minor like a bruise, they can also easily be more severe like a broken bone. While broken bones are usually just that, and only harm the surrounding nerves and tissues, sometimes the skin is broken in the process as well, which makes them even more difficult to treat.
If the wound is open, many things can go wrong with your fractured bone. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons lists these possible complications that could occur when your broken bone becomes more serious:
- Infection
- Bone fragments
- Damage to the surrounding soft tissue
- Difficulty healing
- Non-union
- Swelling and pressure in muscles
Any of these can compromise the healing of your broken bone. Not only that, but they could lead to even more serious results, like permanent injury, loss of body function, disfigurement, or even death.
Your best course of action is to seek medical help immediately after an injury, that way a medical professional can examine you and determine the severity of your fracture. From there, your doctor can provide the proper treatment to help you heal and recover from the break as best as possible.
West Virginia Injury Laws
When you suffer from a broken bone that turns serious, and it wasn’t your fault, you’ll probably want to file a personal injury claim for your injuries. Before you file, you should know our state’s injury laws surrounding fault in an accident.
West Virginia is a comparative fault state when it comes to personal injury, property damage, and wrongful death. So depending on the amount of fault in both parties, you could receive 100% of your possible compensation, or as low as 50% if you were partially at fault. If you are partially liable for any of your injuries, it’s in your best interests to hire an attorney so that you can fight for maximum compensation.
Personal injury cases can get complicated in West Virginia. At DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC, our expert lawyers can guide you through the personal injury claim process so all you have to worry about is healing. Reach out to us today for a free evaluation of your claim so we can get started on representing you through this difficult time in your life.
