Common Broken Bones From Car Accidents & How They Occur

Car accidents can cause a wide array of injuries, with broken bones being among the most common due to the violent forces exerted during a collision.

These fractures vary significantly in severity and complexity, depending on the nature of the accident and the impact received.

Common types of broken bones resulting from a motor vehicle accident include:

• Broken Arm: Car accidents can cause various arm fractures, from the shoulder down to the wrist, including the humerus, radius, and ulna.
• Broken Legs: Incidents on the road can lead to broken ankles, femur fractures, tibia fractures, and fibula fractures, among other leg injuries.
• Broken Ribs: The impact from car accidents often results in broken ribs, which can be painful and potentially harm internal organs.
• Skull Fractures: Severe impacts to the head during car accidents can cause skull fractures, which may accompany brain injuries.
• Pelvis Fractures: The force of a collision can break the pelvic bone, leading to significant mobility issues and requiring extensive recovery time.
• Spinal Fractures: The spine can suffer fractures in a car crash, affecting any part from the neck down to the lower back, with varying degrees of nerve involvement.
• Facial Fractures: Car accidents can cause breaks in facial bones, including the jaw, nose, cheekbones, and around the eyes, often requiring surgical intervention.

An Overview of Specific Types of Bone Fractures

Car accidents can result in various types of bone fractures, each presenting unique challenges and implications for recovery.

Understanding these fractures is crucial to anticipate the care needed for recovery.

Compound Fracture

A compound fracture is a common type of fracture where part of a bone breaks through the skin.

Because of the break through the skin, compound fractures often render victims susceptible to blood loss and infection.

Compound fractures often occur in accidents where the impact is severe enough to break bones and push them through the skin’s surface.

The resulting skin wounds and blood loss add complexity to the injury and treatment process.

Compression Fracture

Compression fractures are another significant concern, especially in accidents involving the spine.

Compression fractures happen when the vertebrae endure compression forces, which can occur during sudden stops or impacts.

Immediate medical attention is especially critical if there’s any suspicion of SCI (spinal cord injury) after a car accident like a rollover accident.

Comminuted Fractures

Comminuted fractures occur when the bone shatters into multiple pieces.

These types of bone fractures are common in high-impact collisions like head-on crashes or rollovers.

The severity of these fractures often requires extensive medical intervention.

Treatment can include multiple surgeries and months to years of rehabilitation to promote healing and restore functionality.

Due to how severe they are, physicians must develop an appropriate treatment plan and assess long-term implications for the individual’s health and well-being.

The necessary treatments for comminuted fractures can also be costly, meaning victims will need compensation from negligent drivers and their insurance providers.

Simple Fractures (Closed Fractures)

Like a compound fracture, a simple fracture is a common injury following a car accident.

This bone fracture involves a clean break without extensive damage to surrounding tissues.

Although simple fractures are less severe than compound and comminuted fractures, they cause significant pain.

Impairment can also occur, depending on the location of the fracture.

One such example is the case of a broken arm or arm fractures.

Simple fractures can result in prolonged recovery periods and may require medical interventions such as casting, splinting, or surgical repair depending on the severity of the injury.

How Different Car Accidents Can Lead to Different Kinds of Bone Fractures

Different types of car accidents, such as head-on collisions, rear-end crashes, side-impact wrecks, and rollover accidents can result in a variety of bone fractures, with the nature and severity of the impact directly influencing the type and location of the fractures sustained.

High-speed crashes often cause more severe and complex fractures, while low-impact accidents might result in simpler, more localized breaks.

Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions are among the most severe types of car accidents and often lead to lower limb fractures.

The force of impact from a head-on collision can cause significant damage to the legs and feet, resulting in fractures ranging from simple breaks to more complex comminuted fractures.

Drivers often sustain injuries like pelvic fractures and fractured ribs.

Other injuries from head-on car crashes can include:

• Ankle fractures
• Femur fractures
• Skull fracture
• Spinal fractures

The severity of lower limb fractures can vary depending on factors such as the speed of the vehicles involved and the use of safety devices like seat belts and airbags.

Rear-End Accidents

While typically less severe than head-on collisions, rear-end collisions can still cause significant harm, including spinal compression fractures.

The abrupt impact from a rear-end collision can exert tremendous force on the spine, leading to compression fractures in the vertebrae.

These fractures can result in chronic pain, limited mobility, and other long-term complications if not promptly diagnosed and treated.

Besides compression fractures, other injuries resulting from a rear-end collision include soft tissue injuries like whiplash.

Whiplash can occur because of the sudden shift of the neck from front to back.

Whiplash can lead to extensive tissue damage to the structures surrounding the upper spinal column.

Side-Impact Crashes or T-Bone Collisions

Side-impact crashes, also known as T-bone collisions, frequently result in rib and pelvis fractures.

The lack of structural protection on the sides of vehicles leaves occupants vulnerable to direct impact from colliding vehicles or objects.

During T-bone collisions, ribs are the most common broken bones.

Rib fractures can occur due to blunt force trauma to the chest area.

Pelvic fractures are also common bone fractures following high-impact T-bone car accidents.

A pelvic fracture may result from the sudden lateral movement of the body during the collision.

Rollover Accidents

Rollover accidents pose a unique risk of multiple and severe bone fractures due to the vehicle’s violent rotation and overturning.

Individuals involved in rollover accidents may sustain a combination of fractures, including compound, comminuted, and spinal compression fractures.

In the aftermath of these car accidents, broken bones include the skull, the facial bones, and the upper segments of the spine.

The complex nature of these injuries often necessitates immediate medical treatment and comprehensive treatment to address the full extent of the damage.

In the case of skull fractures and spinal fractured bones, care will involve diagnosing broken bones and a victim’s movement limitations.

If there are soft tissue injuries or traumatic brain injuries, surgery, rehabilitation, and close monitoring are necessary.

Why You Should Seek Compensation After a Car Accident

If you’ve been in a car accident and sustained multiple fractures, you’re looking at a lengthy recovery process that can take a toll emotionally, physically, and financially.

For this reason, you need to hold the at-fault party liable for the pain and suffering you’re experiencing and seek compensation.

Compensation can help you in several ways.

Alleviating Financial Burden From Medical Treatment and Physical Therapy

Compensation can help cover the financial burdens that often arise after an accident.

Medical bills can quickly pile up, especially for injuries requiring extensive treatment like broken bones.

Compensation can help alleviate these expenses, ensuring you receive the necessary medical care without facing overwhelming debt.

Covering Lost Wages

Whether you’re recovering from bone fragments from a comminuted fracture or a severely broken leg, you’re bound to take time off work.

Being away from work can leave you unable to make an income, and this further makes your financial woes greater.

By seeking compensation, you can recover a settlement that reimburses you for each day you were unable to work because of your injury.

Compensation for Pain and Suffering

Seeking compensation can provide a sense of closure and justice for the pain and suffering you’ve endured.

Car accidents can be traumatic experiences, both physically and emotionally.

Compensation can acknowledge the impact of the accident on your life and help you move forward with the necessary support and resources.

The Legal Aspects of Seeking Compensation

To recover compensation, you must do several things.

These include:

• Establish negligence
• Prove the severity and extent of your injuries
• Negotiate for a fair settlement value with the at-fault driver’s insurance providers

Proving Negligence

In seeking compensation for broken bones after a car accident, proving negligence is crucial.

Establishing negligence involves demonstrating that the other party failed to uphold their duty of care while driving, leading to the accident and resulting injuries.

Proving negligence is essential for holding the at-fault party responsible for your damages.

Proving Your Injuries With Documentation

A thorough documentation of your injuries is vital for building a strong case for compensation.

Medical records, diagnostic reports, and documentation of your treatment and recovery process serve as crucial evidence in demonstrating the severity and impact of your broken bones.

Seeking prompt medical attention and adhering to your healthcare provider’s recommendations can help ensure comprehensive documentation of your injuries.

Negotiating With Insurers

Negotiating with insurance companies is often a necessary step in seeking compensation for broken bones.

Insurance companies may attempt to minimize their liability or offer settlements that do not fully compensate you for your damages.

Having experienced legal representation can level the playing field and ensure that your rights are protected during negotiations.

A St. Louis broken bone lawyer can advocate on your behalf, negotiate with insurance adjusters, and pursue maximum compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.

How a St. Louis Car Accident Attorney Can Help You

When you’re seeking compensation for your injuries, a St. Louis car accident lawyer can help you.

An experienced St. Louis car accident attorney can help in many ways.

These include:

• Establishing the other party’s negligence
• Documenting the extent of your injuries
• Maximizing your potential compensation value
• Negotiating with insurance companies

Establishing the Other Party’s Negligence

One of the primary tasks of a St. Louis broken bone lawyer is to establish negligence on the part of the at-fault party.

This involves gathering evidence, such as witness statements, accident reports, and expert testimony, to demonstrate that the other party failed to uphold their duty of care while driving, leading to the accident and resulting injuries.

With us in your corner, you shift all liability to the at-fault driver.

As a result, you can place negligent parties and their insurance providers on the hook to pay you a fair settlement.

Documenting the Extent of Your Injuries

Besides proving negligence, an attorney can ensure that you have sufficient documentation to prove the severity of your injuries.

With an attorney, you can have additional medical records, diagnostic reports, and other relevant documents.

These can help build a strong case for compensation by illustrating the severity and impact of your broken bones on your health and well-being.

Maximizing Your Potential Settlement Value

With a St. Louis car accident attorney, you’ll have the advantage of recovering a fair settlement that covers more than just your medical expenses.

Your attorney will consider factors like pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages in the damage calculation.

This approach can work to increase your potential compensation.

Negotiating With Insurance Companies

Negotiating with insurance companies can be challenging, but our St. Louis Car Accident Lawyers will handle these negotiations on your behalf.

Our attorneys will advocate for fair compensation by presenting compelling evidence and arguments to insurance adjusters.

We ensure that you receive adequate compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.

TorHoerman Law: Helping You Recover Fair Compensation for Your Car Accident Injuries

Whether you’ve sustained a hairline fracture or a more severe spinal or rib fracture, we’re here to help you recover the compensation you deserve.

At TorHoerman Law, we’ve helped countless accident victims recover settlements with our experience and expertise in civil claims — and we will work to do the same for you.

You are not alone — help is just a call away.

If you’ve sustained severe fractures, broken bones, or other injuries due to the negligence of another driver, you may be eligible to file a car accident lawsuit.

Contact TorHoerman Law for a free case evaluation.

You can also use the chatbot on this page to find out if you qualify for a lawsuit instantly.