You could break a bone in multiple personal injury scenarios. You might fall down the stairs while visiting an apartment complex. You might get into a car crash that cracks your femur in three places. Anything from a defective product to a poorly-maintained property could lead to you breaking a bone.
With a fracture comes numerous financial consequences. There is medical care to consider, as well as restrictions on your activities during your recovery period. You could lose several months of income in addition to having thousands of dollars in trauma care. Many people in this situation are eager to receive compensation from insurance.
However, before you accept the settlement based on what you’ve assumed your losses might be, it’s important to understand that there are a couple of situations where a broken bone could have long-term financial consequences.
If you develop worse symptoms as the bone heals
Typically, as your bone starts to repair itself or knits after a fracture, the discomfort or pain you experienced at the time of the break will decrease. Although some people report discomfort during times of seasonal or weather changes long after their fracture heals, most people have no lasting symptoms from a broken bone.
Unfortunately, a tiny percentage of people who suffer trauma to a bone could develop a permanent nerve condition as a result. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a permanent, debilitating condition that people sometimes develop after suffering a traumatic injury.
Those who experience worsening pain or deep, tingling or burning sensations near the site of a broken bone may have reason to worry about CRPS. They may require lifelong medical care and could have permanent limitations on their work functions.
If the bone breaks in multiple places
Not all fractures are clean and simple brakes that heal easily. When there is extreme force, twisting pressure or a brittle bone involved, the potential for severe fractures increases.
If a bone breaks into multiple pieces, a person may require surgery or even implanted supports for the bone to heal. They may have lifelong limitations on how much they use the affected body part because of how much damage the bone has suffered.
Recognizing that broken bones could lead to lasting income consequences and ongoing medical expenses can help you make a more informed decision when negotiating a personal injury settlement related to a fracture.
