Get Legal Help for Fractured Bones and Joint Injuries
Orthopedic injuries, including broken bones, dislocations, and damaged joints, can seriously impact the everyday person’s quality of life. In addition to the sheer trauma of an orthopedic injury, they also feature long recovery times that take away from work, hobbies, and time with friends and family, especially when they impact older individuals. In the most severe cases, broken bones can change your entire lifestyle permanently. We at the Tenge Law Firm, LLC believe that individuals who have suffered orthopedic injuries deserve full and fair compensation when they are harmed by another’s negligence. Whether your orthopedic injuries were the result of a slip or fall or a trucking accident, do not hesitate to call our Fort Collins law firm at (970) 212-4777.
Types of Orthopedic Injuries
Orthopedic injuries cover a broad range of body parts from your head to your toe, but primarily involve your bones, muscles, tendons, and joints. Following an accident, a medical professional will diagnose your wounds in a number of different ways, including:
- Fractures (broken bones, including skull and facial fractures)
- Dislocations
- Impingement (excessive friction between joint tissues)
- Sprains and strains (damage to the joints and tendons)
Fractures are among the most common and well-known types of injuries, resulting from an overwhelming force or pressure being placed against a bone. This often causes a break, which can occur as:
- Stable fracture: With this type of fracture the broken edges of the bone line up.
- Displaced fracture: If the broken edges of the bone are out of alignment, it is a displaced fracture and the bones will need to be set.
- Buckle fracture: This occurs when the edges of the broken bone are driven into each other.
- Transverse fracture: The fracture line runs perpendicular to the bone.
- Oblique fracture: The fracture line runs at an angle to the bone.
- Comminuted fracture: This is also known as a shattered bone. With a comminuted fracture, the bone has broken into at least three pieces.
- Open fracture: If the broken bone protrudes through the skin, or protrudes and then recedes, leaving an open wound, it is an open fracture.
- Closed fracture: A break that remains internal is a closed fracture.
Trauma at the Hands of Negligent Individuals
Whether you are struck by a truck after a bicycle ride along Poudre River or trip and fall at FNL airport, accidents can occur in every corner of Fort Collins. Accidents are treated as an accepted part of life, but negligent behavior is another story altogether. When an individual neglects their duty to others, it often ends in severe injuries, including orthopedic injuries.
Within Fort Collins, orthopedic injuries can occur due to negligence during:
- Vehicle accidents: When two high-powered objects collide, only destructive is left in their wake. That’s true for anywhere in Colorado, Fort Rollins included. All drivers should abide by the laws of the road, whether it requires them to maintain a safe speed, check all mirrors and blind spots, and avoid any distracting behaviors. Drivers who fail to do so put themselves and others at risk for severe fractures all across the body.
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents: Fort Collin’s residents are blessed to live in the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains, which has inspired many of us to explore our stunning parks by foot or bike. While bikers and hikers may show each other a common respect on the trails, roadways are a different matter. Reckless drivers can easily clip or a pedestrian or cyclist while suffering little damage to themselves or their vehicles, while their victims are left with severe injuries, often involving multiple fractures.
- Motorcycle accidents: Just like pedestrians and cyclists, motorcycle riders are left exposed to the whims of careless drivers. Brain injuries and road rash can be mitigated with protective gear and clothing, but broken bones are still commonplace on the motorcycle routes around Fort Collins, especially if you enjoy the Peak to Peak route.
Treatment for Orthopedic Injuries
Immediately following an accident, it is imperative that you seek medical treatment. Orthopedic injuries aren’t something that you can walk off, especially after a severe fracture. It’s best to wait for medical professionals to arrive at the accident and access your injuries before taking you to a doctor. Following a diagnosis, your treatment plan may include:
- Resetting broken bones
- Immobilization with a cast, splint, brace, or sling
- Traction (pulling of an extremity to align the bones)
- Pins (used to secure smaller hand, wrist, or foot bones in place)
- Surgery
- Replacement surgery
- Rehabilitation
Often, your injuries will not be limited to orthopedic ones after an accident, and may involve head trauma, lacerations, soft tissue damage, and psychological trauma. Each of these injuries will have their own unique recovery times, but they may impact each other. A broken bone will limit your ability to exercise and heal weakened muscle, while a traumatic brain injury could impact your entire lifestyle and make it harder to adjust to a new cast or splint.
Contact an Experienced and Attentive Lawyer
An orthopedic injury may require surgery and lengthy recovery times, often involving a growing pile of medical bills and sick days. When they occur as a result of negligence, it is essential to have the best chance of recovering the maximum compensation available to help ensure a full recovery, which can include:
- Emergency room bills
- Rehabilitation fees
- Cost of medical equipment, including canes, walkers, and wheelchairs
- Wages as a result of missed workdays
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
The best course of action to ensuring you recover the maximum amount of compensation is to get an experienced personal injury attorney by your side. If you have suffered orthopedic injuries in an accident that was someone else’s fault, call the Tenge Law Firm, LLC at (970) 212-4777 for a free case evaluation. Our Fort Collins personal injury lawyers are tough advocates for victims of negligence and have won millions of dollars in damages against major insurance companies. In addition to our free case evaluation, we accept each case on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not have to pay us a dime unless we win your case.