Broken bones are a result of a high impact trauma in most cases. A car crash can very easily break bones all over someone’s body, from their pelvis or clavicle to their femur. Although broken bones are painful and may require emergency medical treatment, people generally recognize that they can expect a full medical recovery after a fracture.
However, faith in the ability of modern trauma care to resolve their symptoms may lead to people underestimating the seriousness of a fracture and the impact it could have on their lives. These are some of the ways in which fractures can prove more challenging than people realize.
They cause major medical expenses
A simple fracture is usually not very expensive to treat. Imaging tests, bone setting and a cast may only add up to a few thousand dollars in many cases. However, sometimes fractures are more severe and may require more expensive medical interventions. A compound fracture or a comminuted fracture could require surgery to treat, which would drastically increase the total medical expenses related to someone’s broken bone.
They can cause someone to miss a lot of work
The worse the fracture is, the greater the impact it will have on someone’s ability to do their job. If someone works in a physically-demanding profession, such as in a restaurant kitchen or a manufacturing facility, they may be unable to perform their typical job responsibilities until after they recover from their injury. They may require eight weeks or more of leave while their bone heals and even more than that if they need to undergo physical therapy to regain strength and range of motion to safely perform their job tasks.
They may lead to medical complications
Maybe someone had a compound fracture and then developed an infection that required their hospitalization halfway through their recovery. Maybe somebody doesn’t respond well to the interventions applied for their fracture, such as having an allergic reaction to medications. Sometimes, broken bones end up being the underlying event that triggers some other, serious medical issue, like lasting nerve conditions.
Those dealing with a fracture after a car crash need to generally avoid rushing to settle their insurance claims or dismissing the option of a lawsuit until they have fully evaluated the medical consequences of their fracture and know the full financial impact of their injury. Recognizing why a broken bone can actually be very expensive can help people avoid mistakes that could leave them without the compensation they need (and deserve) after a car crash breaks a bone.