Multiple and complex bone fracture injury can occur in any number of accident scenarios. Maybe you were in a serious auto accident. Maybe you were a passenger on a motorcycle that lost control. Or a bicyclist struck by a car. You may have been run over as a pedestrian. Whatever the case may be, you are likely eligible to file a claim, but there are some things you should know first.
What are the general types of bone injury?
For the purpose of this webpage, the definitions of these terms have been expanded to include the broader range patient-injury scenarios that complicate recovery from particular types of bone injuries.
A simple single bone fracture can often be reset through a closed reduction. The bone is reset through manual manipulation. A cast or sling is applied. The bone knits back together. Long-term consequences are rare.
A multiple bone fracture occurs when a bone is fractured in more than one location. (The technical definition includes fractures of several bones at the same time from the one injury.)
A complex bone fracture occurs when
- The bone is crushed causing it to fragment.
- The soft tissues connecting the bone are severely damaged.
- A fracture is accompanied by dislocation of an associated joint.
- The bone injury is so severe that there is a loss of bone.
- There is joint injury. Joint injury can include severe cartilage injury at a joint.
- An injury to one or more vertebrae that is associated with injury to the spinal cord.
- The bone injury is associated with injury to peripheral nerve damage or blood vessel injury. (Peripheral nerves send signals from the various parts of the body to the brain through the spinal cord.)
- The bone injury is associated with "degloving." Degloving occurs when the skin enveloping the soft tissue and bone is torn away in the injury.
- Independent factors (such as the victim being young or elderly, having a psychiatric condition, learning impediment or brain injury) complicate the healing process.
- Associated injuries complicate the healing of the fracture.
How are serious bone injuries treated?
The immediate medical challenge is to stabilize the patient and then sequentially treat injuries to achieve the best medical result. The injury is identified and defined through x-rays and CAT scans and during the operative process. In more severe cases an orthopaedic surgeon may be assisted by a neurosurgeon, a vascular surgeon, and/or a plastic surgeon. A series of surgeries or procedures may be required.
The injury to the bone itself may be treated through the temporary or permanent fixing in place of the bone through rods, plates and screws.
Multiple and complex bone injuries are often associated with extended physiotherapy to heal the underlying soft tissue which may have been compromised during the injury or through the soft tissue being inactive during the initial recovery stage. Occupational therapy may be required to restore function or adapt to the work environment to accommodate the injury. Psychological intervention may be required to assist the accident victim in dealing with the immediate and long-term psychological consequences of the injury. Vocational rehabilitation may be required if the injured person must be retrained.
What compensation are you entitled to receive?
The insurer is required to pay compensation to you if your injury was caused by the negligence of the insured person. The more significant forms of compensation include:
- Damages for pain and suffering
- Loss of past income
- Loss of future income
- The cost of past and future treatment
- Cost and value of past and future domestic services and assistance with activities of daily living required as a result of the injury. The cost is the amount paid directly by you for assistance. The value is the value of unpaid assistance by friends, relatives and other volunteer caregivers.
- The cost and value of the loss of your ability to perform past and future valuable domestic activities. These damages are generally referred to as loss of housekeeping ability. They include all activities that were performed by you before the accident and that have an economic value. If you cut wood to heat your home, did mechanic work on your own vehicles, did carpentry and other such work, you would be entitled to compensation for loss of your ability to do so.
Obtaining Fair Compensation for Your Injury
Multiple and complex bone injuries can be objectively proven. Radiological and surgical evidence, not to mention common sense, make it clear that these injuries are serious. Unlike soft tissue injury claims and some disability claims, it is impossible for the insurer to deny that the injury exists. The insurer can rarely deny that the initial injury was severe. The insurer will challenge the long-term severity, effects and losses that you have suffered and may suffer from future deterioration of the injury.
The challenge in these claims lies in proving these long-term effects and consequences of the injury. Geoff Aylward, Q.C., an experienced and reputable Newfoundland and Labrador lawyer, has experience and success in dealing with complex fracture and multiple fracture claims. He puts the necessary effort into obtaining, reading and understanding the detailed hospital, medical and rehabilitation records. Geoff Aylward has worked with the evidence of orthopaedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, physiatrists, plastic surgeons and others on these complex claims. He is thoroughly familiar with all of the Court cases decided in Newfoundland and Labrador in the last 30 years dealing with these claims.
Geoff Aylward, Q.C. will take every reasonable measure to ensure that you receive full and fair compensation for your serious bone injury claim.
Resourceful, Compassionate Lawyer in Newfoundland & Labrador for Representation of Claims on Multiple or Complex Bone Fractures
As an experienced Newfoundland and Labrador personal injury lawyer, Geoff Aylward, Q.C. has the necessary medical knowledge and legal expertise to aggressively advocate for you and assist you with proving the legal elements of your case. Geoff Aylward, Q.C. will discuss the facts and circumstances of your individual case, gather and investigate relevant evidence, consult with experts in complicated bone fracture cases, negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, and if necessary, represent you in court.
Geoff Aylward, Q.C. will provide effective advice and representation in seeking full and fair compensation in multiple and complex bone fracture claims. Contact lawyer Geoff Aylward for multiple and complex fracture claim representation today either online or at 709-726-7260.