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One of the most common types of car accident injuries seen by Alabama injury accident attorney Greg Reeves is broken bones. The violent force of a car crash impact can crack human bones, or even break them into multiple pieces. Even low-speed impacts have the potential to break human bones, especially if the occupants of the cars involved are not wearing their seat belts.
Bones are the body’s support structure and are strong and durable, but they have limits. A fall of only three feet carries enough force to break a human bone, and by the same token, even low-speed car crashes can crack or snap pieces of the human skeleton.
Human Bones: Vulnerable in a CollisionThe human skeleton consists of 206 bones. They are intended to support the weight of the body’s tissues and insulate the vulnerable organs from shocks. Yet slips, falls, collisions, and impacts can damage, chip, bruise, or even break these bones.
Broken bones are some of the most common injuries seen in American emergency rooms. Broken bones do heal over time (as long as they’ve been set correctly), but they can be both painful and paralyzing, restricting the victim’s movement for weeks while they heal.
Commonly Broken BonesHalf of adult bone breaks in the USA are arm bones, according to available statistics. Two of the most frequently broken arm bones are the humerus (in the upper arm) and the radius of the ulna in the lower arm. These breaks usually happen during impacts, as the individual braces himself or herself for impact. A full 25% of all the bones in the human body are located in the feet, and foot injuries due to impact trauma are also not uncommon. While patients of foot bone breaks are frequently able to walk even after they’ve been hurt, their injuries require diligent medical attention. Delaying treatment of foot bone breaks can result in arthritis and chronic pain.
Clavicle (collarbone) injuries are also common during car accidents. The upper body is thrown forward in a collision and may strike the steering wheel, dashboard, or other hard surfaces, resulting in clavicle cracks or fractures. These injuries are often painful and require some time to heal.
Broken bones are extremely painful, but unlike other injuries, they can be debilitating as well. Even minor fractures can prevent you from working or carrying out your daily routine. Broken bones often require immobilization of the affected limb, and may require restricting casts to be put on to ensure that the limb stays still. This can prevent you from caring for your children, doing your job, pursuing an active lifestyle, or enjoying pastimes you once pursued before your accident. It’s vital that you seek the advice of an experienced Alabama injury accident attorney if you or loved ones get hurt in a car accident.
How Broken Bones are TreatedBone scans, MRIs, and X-rays are usually used to survey the severity of a broken bone. In the short term, pain medications and anti-inflammatory medicines may be prescribed to ease pain and bring down swelling. In the long term, you may need to have the leg or arm put in a cast. Your doctor will probably prescribe reduced activity—even bedrest—while the bone heals, which could take several weeks to a month or two.
Motor vehicle accidents frequently caused injury to the necks, backs, and heads of victims, according to the Mayo Clinic. Aside from foot, arm, clavicle, back, and neck injuries, it’s also possible for car accident victims to break their noses, jaws, or skulls in car accidents. Severe enough car accidents can lead to compound fractures (where a bone breaks so severely that it protrudes through the skin), brain damage, or paralysis.