FRACTURES

Mississippi Fracture Injury Lawyer

A broken bone is not a minor injury, and should not be underestimated or treated like it is. Bone fractures are usually extremely painful. They take time to heal properly, and are a huge inconvenience, at the very least. Sometimes they can be a life-changing injury. Serious issues stemming from bone fractures may include loss of mobility, chronic pain, loss of independence, time missed from work with lost wages, extended medical treatment, permanent disability, and large medical bills. No one is immune from a bone fracture; it is one of the most common injuries. But if this painful injury was caused due to someone else’s negligent acts, The Guthrie Firm will work hard to ensure that you receive maximum compensation for your losses and your pain.

What is bone?

There is a common misconception that bones are a collection of dead tissue. Not true. Bone is living, growing tissue that serves a number of purposes in your body, including:

• Providing a structure and framework for your body
• Protecting your vital organs
• Producing red blood cells, which transport oxygen and other needed substances throughout your body
• Serving as a “reservoir” for certain minerals your body needs, such as calcium and magnesium, and releasing them when your body needs them
• Interacting with your muscles and ligaments to move your body around

Because bone is living tissue, it hurts when it is fractured, it bleeds when it is ruptured, and it changes with age. Bone has a tremendous ability to heal itself, but only if it is treated properly when it is injured.

What is a fracture?

Most people know that a “fracture” is a crack or break in a bone, typically due to a high-force impact or stress. But fractures can also be caused by repeated stress or overuse. Of the 206 bones in the adult human body, more than half are in the hands and feet, and so a large portion of fractures occur there. Other potential locations for serious fracture injuries are the neck, collar bone, vertebrae, pelvis, arm bones and leg bones. Statistically, men younger than 50 and women older than 50 are more susceptible to bone fractures, but no age is immune to accidents and severe trauma that can cause fractures.

There are many kinds of bone fractures:

• Simple, or Closed – this simply means that the fracture is contained under the skin
• Open, or Compound – a fracture that leaves bone in contact with air, from either piercing the skin, or from severe tissue injury
• Multi-fragmentary – a fracture that involves the bone splitting into multiple pieces
• Complete – a fracture in which bone fragments separate completely
• Incomplete – a fracture in which bone fragments are still partially joined
• Comminuted - a fracture in which the bone has broken into a number of pieces. Perhaps the most famous fracture of all time – Joe Theismann’s 1985 career-ending injury on Monday Night Football caused by a sack from Lawrence Taylor – was a comminuted leg fracture.
• Avulsion – a fracture in which a force applied by a muscle or tendon causes a small piece of bone to pull out from its point of attachment
• Compact – a fracture in which bone fragments are driven into each other
• Compression – a fracture in which a vertebra in the spine is compressed
• Hairline – a fracture characterized by a minimal break with no significant bone displacement
• Impacted – when the edge of two bones become wedged together
• Transverse – when the break goes straight across the bone

Fractures may require multiple corrective surgeries and extensive physical therapy. It is usually not wise to accept a quick settlement on a fracture case, as it could be weeks or months before you are free of treatment and a correct assessment of your injury can be made.

Treatment for Fractures

The proper course of treatment obviously depends on the severity of the fracture, but usually initially involves immobilization, icing, and elevation initially. Then the bones must be returned to their normal position, either through surgery, possibly with screws or plates, or a simple setting of the bones with a cast. And although it would seem that diagnosis and treatment of bone fractures would be relatively straightforward, misdiagnosis of bone fractures is a leading cause of medical malpractice claims against emergency room physicians.

We can help you with a bone fracture

We are prepared to thoroughly investigate your bone fracture, collect your medical records and bills, and pin down the sources of liability to obtain you maximum compensation for your injury. We have nurse paralegals to assist us in assessing the extent of your injury and to help us prepare your case, and we are dedicated to helping you recover more than fair reimbursement for your pain and suffering. If you or a family member has suffered broken bones in any type of accident, the Mississippi injury lawyers at The Guthrie Firm can help you. Contact us at our Ridgeland, Mississippi office, at 601-991-1099 or toll-free at 866-991-1055 to schedule an appointment for a free consultation. Feel free to contact us by email as well at clarence@guthriefirm.com. We are here to help.