Broken Arm

Broken arm injuries that are sustained from car accidents can cause pain and suffering, lost wages from missing work, and can even result in permanent disability. When you suffer a broken arm because of someone else’s negligence, you are due just compensation for losses. However, how much is a broken arm case worth? Learn more here.

Basics of a Broken Arm Settlement

Without insurance, the non-surgical treatment and diagnosis of your broken arm can cost over $3,000. The costs can be broken down into medical bills, materials, cost of future treatment, and how a doctor bills. 

If your broken arm requires surgery, then the bill can spike up to $16,000 or more. The surgeon’s fee can cost around $2,000 or more and will be added to your bill, as well. 

Later down the road, the hardware a surgeon used, such as plates or screws, may cause irritation. Having the hardware surgically removed will cost between $2,500 and $11,500. 

If you have to go to the emergency room for immediate attention, you will have to pay an additional $1,000 to $2,000 for emergency room care. These costs include only the medical bills. When you break your arm, you will not be able to go back to work immediately because you will need time to heal. Therefore, you will lose income for a period of time as you recover. 

A good personal injury attorney will look at your medical bills as well as your lost income and the pain and suffering you’ve endured. With their experience dealing with similar cases, an estimation can be determined of how much victims are owed in damages. 

Types of Fractures and Breaks

The type of break you sustain will determine the medical care you will need. It also contributes to being awarded full and fair compensation in a personal injury case for a broken arm. Here are the most common injuries regarding broken bones and fractures:

• Hairline fracture: small fractures that medical professionals only see with an x-ray
• Closed bone break: where the bone breaks but the skin is intact
• Open bone fracture or compound fracture: where the bone breaks the skin
• Comminuted fracture: when the bone is broken in several places
• Traverse fracture: when the break is perpendicular to the bone
• Avulsion fracture: when a small piece of bone pulls away from the other parts of the bone
• Oblique fracture: when the bone breaks at an angle
• Buckle break: when one side of the bone breaks without breaking the other side of the bone

Common Broken Bone Complications

All of these complications will slow down recovery and prevent victims from heading back to work and earning income. As you wait to heal, your medical bills will continue to pile up, and you won’t be able to pay them because you’re unable to work. This will be considered when a personal injury claim is filed, and all of these losses will increase the value of the settlement. 

Conversely, if you do not seek medical help after suffering a broken arm injury or another break from a car accident, the condition can cause permanent damage. Additionally, it can be seen as negligent on the victim’s part that he or she did not seek medical help. Then, as a result, the inaction caused the injuries to worsen. This can negatively affect the worth of a settlement. Common complications that occur because of a broken bone can include:

Infection

If your bone breaks the skin, the wound can become infected. The opening in the skin is an open doorway for bacteria to invade your body and wreak havoc on your entire system. Without proper treatment, you can develop sepsis, which can even cause death. 

Non-Union Recovery

Non-union recovery occurs when your bones fail to unite. If your bones do not heal within the first six months after you sustained a break, you officially have a non-union recovery. If your bones cannot adequately join, you will need surgery. 

Sometimes your bones will form a callus. This is called hypertrophic non-union recovery. So the bones are prevented from connecting and healing. Instead, large calluses build around the end of the bones, where the connection should have been united. 

Delayed Recovery

When your body does not produce enough calcium for recovery, you will have delayed recovery. Your bones will take longer to heal than normal. Typically, fractures and bones heal within six weeks. Elderly victims typically do not produce as much calcium, so they often produce less calcium. As a result, the bones will take longer to heal. 

Mal-union Recovery

Even after a doctor sets your bone, it can shift. If it does not properly align, the bones may unite, but they will not unite correctly, making them become malaligned. 

In this case, a surgeon will have to re-break the bone and set it again surgically. This means a longer recovery and potential surgical complications. 

What Is Negligence? 

In a personal injury case, “negligence” is a legal term that means a party has failed to meet the standard duty of care. This is the behavior established by law in order to protect society against reckless actions. 

Therefore, if someone fails to protect the general welfare of the population from an unreasonable risk, they would be considered negligent.

When someone else is negligent and you break your arm, they’re responsible for the damages you suffered, including pain and suffering, financial losses, and other identifiable damages.

A good personal injury attorney will help you come up with fair compensation for your losses. If you’ve suffered an injury because of someone else’s actions, contact The Law Offices of Daniel Kim. Our experienced legal team of professionals is ready to help you build and win a case so you can focus on recovering and getting your life back to normal. The consultation to get started is free.