Broken bones are serious injuries that can leave you with pain, mobility problems, and a pile of medical bills you may not be able to afford to pay. If you sustained this injury because of another party’s conduct in Illinois, you may be able to receive compensation by filing a personal injury claim.
Here’s a closer look at what these injuries involve and how the process of filing a claim for one generally works in the Prairie State.
Types of Broken Bones
Bone fractures are typically categorized by their pattern and cause, along with the body part they affect. If a fracture has a straight-line break, it could be considered an oblique or transverse fracture. A break that occurs along the length of the bone is a longitudinal fracture.
Many of these injuries don’t result in a single-line break, however. This makes them much more complex to heal. Greenstick fractures, for example, occur when bones bend enough to cause splintering and cracking on one side but don’t fully break.
Comminuted fractures are another type of complex injury. These fractures involve a bone that breaks in at least two places. They are most likely to occur because of severe trauma, including serious car accidents. If you were injured in a collision, contact a car accident lawyer.
Some fractures are named after what causes them. Stress fractures are one of these. They tend to be mild breaks that occur from overuse. There are also avulsion fractures. These happen when a small piece of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled from the main bone.
Buckle fractures are another category, though these typically only affect children. They are incomplete breaks.
Most Common Causes of Broken Bones in Illinois
Motor vehicle collisions tend to be one of the most common causes of fractures in Peoria and elsewhere in Illinois. Crashes involving speeding or trucks are especially likely to cause them due to the sheer force of the vehicles.
Falls can result in fractures, too. The most severe breaks often occur from falling from heights, but even a ground-level fall can place enough pressure on a bone to fracture it. Your wrist and hand bones are particularly vulnerable if you tip forward.
Breaks from repetitive movements can occur in sports as well as at work. If you work in construction, for example, you might develop stress fractures.
It’s also possible to sustain broken bones because of medical malpractice. Surgical teams can fail to place you on the operating table correctly, for example, causing you to fall. It’s also possible for infants to suffer broken bones if the doctor uses too much force during delivery.
Proving Negligence Caused a Broken Bone
If you’ve suffered a bone fracture because of another party’s misconduct, you may be able to pursue a personal injury claim. These are not simple legal actions to take because you must be able to demonstrate that the other party was negligent. The good news is that a lawyer can guide you through every step.
Your lawyer will need to help you establish a few key elements. First, you have to show that the other party owed you a duty of care. For example, a driver owes everyone on the road a duty to drive safely and lawfully.
You then must prove that the party breached that duty. If the driver was intoxicated or texting while driving, then they have breached their duty of care. You must be able to connect this breach to an injury for which you can be compensated.
When it comes to medical malpractice, different legal standards apply. To hold a medical professional liable, you often must show that another provider would not have made the same error that led to your injury.
Workplace Accidents Leading to Broken Bones
The process is a bit different if your injury occurs from a workplace accident. Most employers carry workers’ compensation insurance, which is designed to cover medical expenses and wages for an employee who gets hurt or ill at work. There’s no need to prove negligence. You can’t, however, recover damages for your pain and suffering through this method.
But can you pursue a personal injury and workers’ compensation claim at the same time? You can, but the personal injury claim must typically be directed at a third party who caused or contributed to your injury. The manufacturer of defective equipment or a subcontractor would be an eligible party, for instance.
Contact Joel E. Brown, P.C. for a Free Consultation with a Peoria Personal Injury Lawyer
Broken bones can mean going through surgery, wearing a cast, and dealing with mobility issues and pain. If another party caused the injury, you shouldn’t have to bear the burden of the aftermath alone. Personal injury claims allow you to pursue damages for your losses, but it’s not a simple process to go through.
At Joel E. Brown, P.C., our skilled team has more than 30 years of experience fighting for the futures of injured people throughout Peoria. We can offer the support you deserve during this stressful moment in your life. Contact us to schedule a free consultation at (309) 673-4357 with our team today.
