Car Accident Tibia Fractures
Car Accident Tibia Fractures
Easy to Fix, Tough to Heal
I’m Ed Smith, a Modesto Car Accident Attorney. There are three bones in each of your limbs; in the leg there are the tibia and fibula below the knee. In car accidents, these smaller bones are much easier to break than the humerus in the arm or the femur in the leg because of their reduced diameter. However, as with any other complicated injury, treatment can take a long time and there are real risks of complications.
How Occupants Can Break Their Tibia Bone in Auto Crashes
Sports scientists and other medical professionals say that it is very difficult to break a bone in the leg unless there is a high-energy impact directly on it. If one imagines the four to seven seats in a vehicle, it means that when all occupants are wearing seat belts it is highly unlikely to fracture a leg bone in a frontal or rear impact. On the other hand, side impact crashes are much more likely to cause issues as would high-energy impacts from trucks and other large vehicles.
This, of course, means that it is rarely an injury on its own. The cabin of the car or SUV has to be crushed in such a way that the interior impacts the leg. This increases the likelihood of other injuries to the arm and the neck. Tibia fractures can also break the skin and affect nerve and blood vessels.
Treatment Plans for Tibia Fractures in Car Accidents
If complications exist when a fracture occurs, patients need immediate treatment. That includes a splint to set the bone regardless of the severity of the injury. In many cases, a car crash in California will also lead to contusions or severe swelling. These can cause long-term damage if blood vessels and nerves are impacted.
In either case, patients who are injured as a result of auto wrecks can expect to need at least six to eight weeks to recover. While this can lead to lost wages and missed time at school for younger victims, it is also at the lower end of the spectrum. One can expect to need up to eight months of costly rehabilitation after traumatic injuries like tibia fractures in order to regain their prior mobility.
Risk Factors for Bone Fractures in California Wrecks
The body reacts poorly to trauma injuries and wants to isolate the injury as quickly as possible. This can lead to compartment syndrome. The leg can only take so much swelling during an injury. If this is the case, long-term neurological damage can be caused by swelling that cuts off blood flow to nerve endings. It’s critical that in severe accidents the passengers and driver get immediate medical attention.
Modesto Auto Accident & Personal Injury Attorneys
I’m Ed Smith, a Modesto Car Accident Attorney. If you or a family member has been seriously injured in a car crash, please call me at (209) 227-1931 or (800) 404-5400 for free and friendly advice.
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