A broken leg is a serious injury that could require surgery and cause pain and partial disability for the rest of your life. Whether your fracture required surgery or not, if your leg fracture occurred anywhere in California, you’re encouraged to speak a dedicated and experienced personal injury lawyer.
Call Maison Law as soon as possible after your injury for a free consultation.
The Bones of the Leg
Each of our legs consists of four different bones. We use them to walk, turn, run and jump. From top to bottom, those four bones follow:
- Femur or thighbone which is the larges and strongest bone in the human body.
- Patella or kneecap that protects the front of the knee.
- Tibia or shinbone that travels from the top of the knee to the ankle.
- Fibula located on the side of the tibia. The fibula enhances our balance and adds to the stability of the ankle.
Accidents that Can Cause a Broken Leg
As their bones aren’t as dense and strong as those of an adult in their prime, children and the elderly are more likely to suffer a broken leg in an accident. Here are some common types of accidents that can cause the injury:
- Slip-and-falls, trip-and-falls and falls down steps.
- Car accidents.
- Motorcycle and bicycle accidents.
- Work accidents.
- Farm accidents.
Symptoms of a Broken Leg
A broken leg is going to cause excruciating pain with swelling and likely bruising of the skin around the fracture. A severe break might even cause an end of the bone to break the skin and protrude through it. The victim won’t be able to put any weight on the affected leg, and it might appear to be misaligned or deformed.
Diagnosing a Broken Leg
Even when a patient has an obviously broken leg, a physician must take a medical history and perform a thorough examination. According to Harvard Health, that doctor will examine the broken leg and look for swelling, deformity, bruising and foreign debris. There will be concern over whether the sharp or pointed edge of a broken bone has damaged blood vessels or nerves in the leg. Special tests will likely be ordered if there are indications that an artery or large vein has been damaged. The affected leg will also be x-rayed, primarily for purposes of determining the severity of the injury and determining whether there are any other less obvious fractures.
Treating a Broken Leg
Treatment of a broken leg depends on the location and extent of the break. With most leg fractures, the bones aren’t displaced. They can be set and the leg can be immobilized with a cast. In the event the bones are displaced, or the break is at the top of bottom of a bone, surgery might be the best treatment option. Physical therapy will likely be needed after that. Depending on whether surgery and physical therapy are needed, most broken legs take about two months to heal.
Broken Leg? Contact a California Personal Injury Lawyer Today.
Suffering from a broken leg can cause pain and partial disability for the rest of a victim’s life. At Maison Law, we’re dedicated to obtaining the maximum compensation that our clients deserve for their injuries. Contact us for a free consultation and case review as soon as you possibly can if your broken leg occurred anywhere in California. We can talk about how it happened and what we think we can do for you.
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