Compound Fractures Sustained in Automobile Crashes

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, the legal staff at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, knows that traffic accidents happen every day in this state. Some people involved in these crashes manage to escape serious injury sometimes by luck; being in the wrong place at the wrong time, however, can mean the difference between being seriously or permanently injured and simply receiving a few superficial scrapes and light bruises.

There is no doubt that many high-speed car or truck wrecks can mean life or death to the drivers and passengers of the vehicles affected. Fortunately, though most roadway collisions are not fatal, there is always opportunity for serious physical injuries in the worst of those. Some of the more common injuries that occupants of motor vehicles sustain in bad T-bone and oblique-impact collisions are bone fractures, both simple and compound.

Whether a car collision happens in the Annapolis area, greater Baltimore, or over in the District of Columbia, the odds of being hurt will have a great deal to do with the speed of the vehicles, their type and size, as well as the road and traffic conditions at the time of the wreck. As Baltimore automobile and trucking accident lawyers, the professionals at Lebowitz & Mzhen know how even the most simple injury can cost a victim time and money to recover. If negligence was involved, there is no reason not to consider filing a personal injury suit against the responsible party(s).

When it comes to traffic accidents, most bone fractures occurring from the impact could be classified as traumatic in nature. Traumatic fractures contrast to pathological ones due to the circumstances surrounding the break; in other words, fractures due to trauma sustained in an auto accident, a trip-and-fall incident, worksite-related injury, etc. Pathological fractures, on the other hand, typically result from some underlying disease of the bone, such as osteoporosis.

When the victim of a car, truck or motorcycle wreck suffers a traumatic fracture, the lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen investigate the circumstances of the crash to determine if negligence contributed to the victim’s injuries. Regardless of whether a fracture is simple or compound, the responsibility for the collision must be established in order to build a case for personal injury.

From a medical standpoint, bone fractures are classified as being under one of two broad categories. The first and typically least serious is the “closed” or simple fractures. In these cases, the affected bone remains under the surface of the victim’s skin, with no outward protrusion through the epidermis. On the other hand, “open” or compound fractures usually involve a wound that communicates with the fracture. In other words, a compound fracture usually includes a break in the skin where the bone has cut through and projected outside the victim’s body.

In cases of compound fractures, there is often a risk of infection due to exposed hematoma and portions of the fractured bone itself. Other medical considerations include what doctors refer to as “displacement” (fracture gap), as well as angulation. Angulation can be a critical if it is significantly large, which may require surgery to remedy the break.

Some other types of fractures include:

• Complete, in which the fractured bone fragments separate completely
• Incomplete, where any fragments are still partially joined together
• Linear, which occurs when the fracture line is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the affected bone
• Transverse, a break perpendicular to the bone's long axis
• Oblique, which denotes a break diagonal to the long axis of the bone
• Spiral, where at least one portion of the bone has been twisted
• Comminuted, which involves multiple fracture locations in the same bone
• Impacted, which involves certain pieces of bone fragments being driven into others or the main bone
• Avulsion, where a bone fragment is physically separated from the main mass

While a bone fracture may not usually be a life-threatening condition, the consequences of such an injury can be long-lasting. Certainly, the recovery time for compound fractures may be significant enough to cause a loss of income to individuals who rely on their mobility to accomplish their jobs. Making certain that one can recover the costs of medical and rehab care is important, yet so is recovering any lost wages that may result from an extended stay in the hospital or rehabilitation center.

Having a lawyer on one’s side can make all the difference for those accident victims who do not have the resources to weather a bad traffic accident. Being able to physically recover from injuries sustained in a car, truck or motorcycle-related collision is only the start. A qualified personal injury attorney, like the professionals at Lebowitz & Mzhen in Baltimore, can guide a victim through the process of a personal injury lawsuit.

Since insurance companies may offer a much lower settlement than what is possible to attain by filing an injury claim, it is often essential to retain an experienced Maryland automobile injury lawyer when high medical costs and long-term care expenses threaten to devastate the financial security of a traffic accident victim and his family.

As roadway accident lawyers, the personal injury attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen understand the law and how it applies to those individuals who seek restitution following a serious auto wreck. We are skilled legal professionals with years of trial experience; our proficiency in personal injury and insurance law combined with our courtroom experience gives us the knowhow to recover damages from those negligent parties. Whether recovering costs from past, current or future medical and nursing care expenses, our staff is ready to assist. Call us toll-free at (800) 654-1949 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation. Or you may send an email to either Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen to arrange for a legal consultation.