Chicago Broken Bone Attorney

The consequences of an accidental injury can disrupt your life in many ways. The best you can hope for is that your injuries are not serious and that you recover quickly. Breaking a bone is among the more serious outcomes of an accident. Not only is the moment of the break painful for you, but the body part affected by the broken bone will likely require restricted movement until it can heal properly.

Although a bone fracture can be traumatic, the outlook for recovery is generally positive, even if surgery, traction, or a more extended healing period is necessary. Loss of mobility may also impact you financially due to medical expenses and lost income during recovery. If your broken bones resulted from someone else’s negligence, a Chicago Broken Bone Attorney can assist you in resolving these issues and reaching a full recovery.

If someone else’s negligence caused you to break a bone in Chicago, a Blumenshine Law Group injury lawyer experienced in these cases can help you seek compensation for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Contact us now at (312) 766-1000 for a consultation and take the first step toward financial recovery and peace of mind.

What is a Bone Fracture or Bone Break?

Our bones are part of a complex system that works in conjunction with muscles to support our bodies and enable movement. Bones are composed of hard materials, such as calcium and carbon, that form a strong internal framework. This framework protects our vital organs and gives us the structure we need to move effectively.

However, bones have limits in withstanding external forces. During traumatic events like falls or severe impacts, bones can break just like any rigid material would under enough pressure. Sometimes, bone breaks are immediately obvious, such as when a fracture breaks through the skin or when a limb appears clearly misaligned. But many fractures aren’t visible from the outside.

When doctors cannot determine if a bone is broken through physical examination alone, they use imaging technology to get a clear picture of what’s happening inside the body. X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans enable medical professionals to visualize the precise nature and extent of any bone damage. This detailed information helps doctors develop the most effective treatment plan to support proper healing.

How Common Are Bone Fractures?

Bone fractures are relatively common, with competitive sports, outdoor activities, and individual sports such as climbing or running among the most common causes. Many associate broken bones with childhood injuries since younger people are more often engaged in high-risk activities where broken bones are common. Biking, skateboarding, rock climbing, and sports such as football and soccer are among the most common causes of broken bones. As we age, however, our bodies are more susceptible to breaks, which may be more severe and take longer to recover.

Though we might not be playing sports and putting ourselves at risk for broken bones, something as simple as slipping on a wet floor or being in a car accident still puts us at risk for bone fractures. These accidents can happen at any time, not just on game day.

Types of Bone Fractures Caused by Accidents

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), trauma is a leading cause of the following fracture types:

• Transverse: One of the more common breaks, the transverse, happens straight across the bone.  It is typically a closed, stable fracture that may not require fixation, as the fracture ends are aligned and can heal with support and time.
• Simple: A simple fracture occurs when the bone breaks cleanly into two pieces without damaging surrounding tissue or breaking through the skin. Like the transverse fracture, it typically heals well with proper immobilization.
• Stress fracture or Hairline fracture: This type of break may seem minor, as it can be challenging to detect on X-ray, but it is no less painful or debilitating. These kinds of breaks are common with repetitive trauma, such as running, but may result from whiplash-type trauma.
• Spiral fracture: A more serious break in which the bone’s division winds around the length of the bone in a spiral pattern. This type of break may require surgical intervention to promote healing, with pins, screws, and plates inserted to support the bone as it heals.
• Oblique: Unlike a spiral fracture, this break does not run perpendicular to the grain of the bone and may be difficult to set.
• Greenstick: When the bone flexes but doesn’t make a clean break.  
• Segmental or “Floating” fracture: When a long bone, such as you would find in your limbs or even ribs, breaks in multiple places, the section between breaks is detached from either end and may be very difficult to heal.
• Avulsion fracture: When the ligaments and tendons come under enough stress, they might exert enough force onto the bone to which they are attached to break it.
• Compression fracture: When forces at either end of a bone cause crushing, it can result in a compression fracture or an impact fracture. These breaks are widespread spinal injuries along the vertebrae, especially in older people or those with osteoporosis. 

Common Bone Breaks or Fractures Due to Injury

Particular areas of the body are more susceptible to breaks than others due to accidents. In many ways, this demonstrates that the musculoskeletal system is effectively protecting critical parts of the body, but it can only do so much.  Here are some fracture zones and associated injuries.

• Head Fractures: The skull protects the brain, a critical part of the body’s central nervous system, and the visual and other sensory areas. But it can only do so much. Eye socket and nose fractures are common with vehicular accidents, such as car and motorcycle crashes, and impacts from objects falling from a great height, as you would find at a construction zone. Skull fractures can also occur with a slip-and-fall injury if the head isn’t protected and strikes the ground.
• Neck and Back Fractures: The vertebrae in your spine protect the spinal cord and are commonly injured in whiplash, falls, and under compression from heavy lifting, driving, or poor seating posture. Severe damage can cause pain, paralysis, and disability.

Broken Bones from Car Accidents

The forces involved in a car accident can come from just about any direction and are often sufficient to break a bone. Here are some different ways a car accident in Chicago might result in broken bones.

• Nasal Fracture: Nasal fractures are common in car accidents, even with the use of airbags and seatbelts. Impact with the dashboard or deploying airbags can break your nose, resulting in complex fractures that may require surgery. They can impair breathing and speech, cause chronic pain, and affect the sense of smell. Untreated fractures risk infection, potentially spreading to the brain and being lethal.
• Arm or leg fractures: Breaking an arm or a leg is all too common in a motor vehicle accident. Many drivers who are hurt in car accidents have broken legs from trying to apply pressure to the brake pedal. In contrast, defensive injuries can result from covering your face or bracing yourself for impact.
• Broken ribs: Our ribs protect vital organs, including the heart, lungs, and liver, as well as other vulnerable systems. A car accident provides more than enough force to shatter ribs, however, leaving survivors with segmented fractures that are very hard to mend.  
• Pelvic fractures: Our pelvis is one of the strongest bones in our body, and it also contains marrow, which builds white blood cells and fosters our immune system. A pelvic fracture can be severe and result in blood clots and stroke if the marrow is released into the bloodstream. These types of injuries may require surgery, long periods of immobilization, and even cause permanent disability.

Broken Bones from Falls

Whether it’s a fall from a significant height or a slip on a wet or icy surface that results in a ground impact, our bones protect our organs as much as possible. However, falls can still cause broken bones, particularly in the elderly or those with weakened bone density. If you’ve fallen and suffered broken bones, a skilled broken bone attorney can help you secure the compensation you deserve.

• Wrists: Attempting to break your fall can hyperextend your wrist and cause stress fractures in one or many bones that comprise your wrist.
• Long bones: In much the same way as you would break a wrist, long bones in your arm or leg can be broken from falls, especially in trying to brace yourself from the impact, as would be your natural reflex.
• Knees: Landing on your knee during a fall can fracture your patella (kneecap), which may require extensive surgery and a prolonged recovery.
• Skull fractures: Slipping and falling from standing height can cause cranial damage, as with a slip-and-fall injury.
• Pelvic: A broken hip or pelvis is a primary concern for older adults and those with degenerative bone diseases such as osteoporosis. A fractured pelvis from a fall can lead to complications and even be a life-changing event that shortens your lifespan by years.

Broken Bones in Workplace Accidents

Depending on your line of work, you may be at more risk than others in Chicago and Illinois for broken bones. Specific systems and training are necessary in hazardous environments, such as construction sites and warehouses. Machinery used in assembly lines poses a risk of broken bones. Often, employers have taken shortcuts to reduce the costs of providing adequate protective gear, signage, or training, which can limit injuries from workplace accidents. Here are some common broken bones from workplace accidents:

• Skull injuries
• Spinal injuries
• Long bones: Arms, legs, fingers, ribs
• Crush injuries
• Falling from height
• Falls due to debris on walking surfaces

Medical Treatment and Complications From Broken Bones

Our bodies begin to heal broken bones immediately after a break, just as they do with cuts or other injuries. Bones can break in various ways, each needing a specific healing approach. Minor fractures may require only a splint or cast, while more severe, open, or displaced fractures often require resetting or surgery to promote proper healing. 

Treatment options include:

• Traction: Whether the area is immobilized in the hospital with a harness or at home with a cast and sling, keeping the area still and preventing movement as the bone heals is vital to the healing process. In the past, casts were commonly used to provide traction during recovery, but air splints and braces are now the preferred method.
• Pins and plates: In complex fractures, an orthopedic surgeon may need to reconstruct the broken area using metal pins, wires, or plates to hold the bone together and allow it to heal. These costly procedures require lengthy recovery periods and may require physical therapy afterward.
• Physical therapy: Exercises, range-of-motion conditioning, and strength training are often used to promote proper bone healing and reduce the risk of deformity and disability.
• Time: The human body is remarkably adept at healing, but it still requires time. Over several weeks, the bone will heal, but as you take care of your injury, you might miss time at work, lose future income, or fall behind on the medical bills that will start rolling in. A broken bones attorney can help you get the compensation you need for damage control to keep your life in order.

In Chicago, severe bone fractures often require immediate transport to Level I trauma centers such as Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Mount Sinai, or Advocate Christ Medical Center. The Blumenshine Law Group is familiar with the medical documentation protocols at these specific institutions, which is vital for proving the extent of your injury in a Cook County court.

Complications

A bone break is severe; even minor fractures can have unexpected consequences.  When in doubt, always consult your doctor if something doesn’t feel right. Your attorney should also be informed of any complications that may have arisen during your recovery.

• Metal allergies: Some patients may have a history of metal allergies, including to metals used in reconstructive surgery, such as pins and plates.  A nickel allergy, for example, may cause a systemic allergic reaction that can lead to infections or even be fatal over prolonged periods. These reactive metals may require removal and replacement during subsequent surgeries to save the patient’s life.
• Pneumonia: Injuries from broken pelvic bones or ribs can lead to long periods of non-mobility, which can result in complications due to pneumonia in elderly patients. 
• Infection: As with cuts or bruises, infection is always a concern.  Most of the time, a closed fracture heals on its own, but displaced or open fractures allow pathogens to enter, leading to infection.  These kinds of breaks may require antibiotics, surgery, and possibly amputation to save the life of the patient.

How Long Does it Take to Heal From a Broken Bone?

• Finger/Toe Fracture: 3-6 weeks
• Wrist/Ankle Fracture: 6-10 weeks
• Leg (Tibia/Fibula) Fracture: 4-6 months
• Complex/Compound Fracture: 6+ months

Representative Settlements for Fracture Cases

$115,000 – Our client suffered multiple bone fractures in her ankle due to broken pavement in a city parking lot.

$130,000 – Recovered for a 65-year-old woman for a fractured forearm bone (ulna).

$250,000 –  20-year-old college student due to a 30-foot fall through a rooftop skylight, wrist and hip fracture

Past results don’t guarantee future outcomes

Contact the Blumenshine Law Group for a Free Consultation

While you recover from a broken bone or bones, you might feel physically, emotionally, and financially vulnerable. You may be tempted to accept any offer an insurance company makes to avoid the stress of the entire process. Insurance companies know this and often prey on the vulnerable. In most cases, a dedicated, talented attorney fights for their injured client, resulting in higher settlement amounts. You will also benefit from an experienced, savvy lawyer who will counsel and advocate for you. This can go a long way toward alleviating the stress of the legal process and ensuring your rights are protected.

Call or text us today at (312) 766-1000 or email [email protected] to learn how we can help you heal.

Frequently Asked Questions About Broken Bone Injuries

How long does it take to heal from a broken bone?

Healing times vary by fracture type. Generally, fingers and toes take 3-6 weeks, wrists and ankles take 6-10 weeks, and major leg bones (tibia/fibula) can take 4-6 months. Complex fractures may require longer rehabilitation.

Can I file a lawsuit for a broken bone injury in Chicago?

Yes, if the fracture was caused by someone else’s negligence (such as a car accident or a slip-and-fall), you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

What is a comminuted fracture?

A comminuted fracture is a severe injury where the bone is broken into three or more pieces. These injuries often require surgery (such as plates and screws) and typically result in higher settlement values due to the complexity of treatment.

Does the Blumenshine Law Group handle broken bone cases near me?

Yes, our firm represents clients throughout Chicago and Cook County, including victims treated at major trauma centers such as Northwestern Memorial and Stroger Hospital.

Scott Blumenshine has over 37 years of experience litigating personal injury claims in Illinois. He has successfully secured compensation for clients suffering from complex orthopedic injuries and is an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association.