No matter how a car crash happens, the victims are subject to severe injuries. Drivers usually carry the greatest risk since they often brace themselves against the pedals and steering wheel at the moment of impact. They and their passengers may suffer leg fractures and spinal cord damage in car accidents, resulting in both temporary and permanent immobility.
Houston car accident attorney Steve Lee discusses common leg injuries sustained in car collisions and how to hold negligent parties accountable when others are at fault. Our law firm is dedicated to ensuring victims get the legal representation they need, beginning with a free initial consultation.
Serious Leg Injuries Can Dramatically Alter Your Life After a Car Accident
One of the painful ironies about riding in a car is that, although you ride to avoid walking, if you’re in an accident, you may never walk again. Even in a best-case scenario, your injuries could mean you have chronic pain for the rest of your life. You may need mobility aids or suffer arthritis at a younger age than if you’d never been in an accident.
When riding or driving in a car, your lower legs are tucked into a relatively small area. When a collision occurs, especially a frontal collision, the entire area surrounding your legs could collapse, causing heavy debris to squeeze and crush your feet, ankles, knees, and limbs. Such force could cause a slew of lower extremity injuries, such as:
- Broken bones: Simple or compound fractures in the feet, lower leg, upper leg, and pelvis
- Ligament injuries: The severing or pinching of muscles, tendons, and nerves
- Crush injuries: Splintering of bones, blood vessel hemorrhages, etc
- Lacerations: Cuts, punctures, and perforations of skin, tissue, and bone
- Soft tissue injuries and nerve damage: Bruising, torn tissues and muscle, nerve damage, and damaged internal organs
- Amputations: The complete severing of the limb or damage so catastrophic that removal of the limb is required
- Fractures: When the bones of the feet, ankles, knees, pelvis, or lower limbs have so much force applied to them that they snap
Some of these injuries can keep a person off their feet for weeks or months, which means they may be unable to work or even care for themselves. In more serious situations, certain lower leg injuries may mean a person will never walk again, especially when amputations are necessary. This can affect an entire family, both emotionally and financially, and be truly devastating.
Leg Injury Statistics for Drivers
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 37% of frontal car accidents result in some sort of leg injury. Drivers suffer harm not only when their legs and feet hit the firewall and dashboard but can be gashed by the foot pedals.
A review published in the National Library of Medicine found that women, being shorter on average, tend to suffer more below-the-knee injuries. Men, being taller, are more likely to experience damage to the knee and thigh when their knees impact the dashboard.
Longer-Term Effects of Leg Injuries in a Car Crash
Even without serious injury that requires emergency treatment, victims can experience leg injuries that limit their mobility or lifestyle later on. For example, if the bursae (fluid-filled sacs that cushion the patellas) in the knees become inflamed, you may suffer swelling, pain, and other issues in the knee joint. Likewise, if the cartilage is twisted, you may develop stiffness and a loss of movement.
Damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) often occurs in sports activities, but this vital ligament is often damaged in an automobile collision. You may need surgery to repair the injury on top of any immediate medical care. Over time, you may need long-term treatment, medication, and physical therapy.
A rarely acknowledged effect of car accidents is emotional trauma. Many victims develop PTSD after a crash or may fall into depression because their recovery is slow or difficult. When someone else is at fault, your car accident attorney will include your non-economic damages in their calculations so you can secure every penny you deserve.
A Special Concern: Femur Fracture Risks And Treatment
Car accidents are one of the leading causes of femur (thigh bone) fractures. It takes a lot of force to break the femur, as it is one of the largest and strongest bones in the body. For this reason, a broken femur has been associated with potentially life-threatening injuries and can take up to six months to heal.
Once a broken femur is diagnosed, the appropriate treatment will be recommended. For lesser breaks, the bone may be put in a case, but in the case of a femoral shaft fracture, surgery is almost always required. This surgery can be expensive and require significant recovery time.
The most common procedure is to insert a metal rod down the center of the thighbone. The surgeon will reconnect the two ends of the bone and secure the rod both in place above and below the fracture with screws. The rod usually stays in the bone for the rest of the patient’s life.
Additional Injuries You May Suffer in a Car Collision
While leg injuries can have debilitating consequences, they aren’t the only harm you might be dealing with after a crash. Our personal injury attorneys have handled many car accident claims that included conditions such as:
- Burns
- Soft tissue injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Penetrating wounds
- Facial injuries, including damaged jaws, teeth, eyes, ears, and noses
- Whiplash
- Concussions and contrecoup brain injuries
These injuries, on top of serious leg injuries, can increase the difficulty of your recovery. They also increase the value of your claim, which is unique to each case. Attorney Steve Lee will ensure all your losses are correctly valued and listed when negotiating with insurance companies or a defendant’s lawyer.
Leg Injuries Can Impact What Your Car Accident Claim Is Worth
After a car accident, it’s vital to act quickly by getting medical care, preserving evidence at the scene, and connecting with a car accident lawyer. If you aren’t treated at the scene or transported to a hospital, be sure to see your doctor for an evaluation in the next 24-28 hours. It’s important to establish a connection between the crash and any leg injuries you may develop.
Leg injuries that leave you unable to move or walk can severely affect your ability to earn a living or care for yourself until you heal. Whoever is at fault for your harm must be held accountable so you can receive the compensation you deserve. Yet, do you know just what kinds of damages you might receive?
Our attorneys have helped victims recover the following kinds of losses:
- Lost wages because you aren’t able to work, support yourself, or provide for your family
- Medical bills for your initial treatment
- Emergency care and transportation costs
- Follow-up visits and specialist care
- Surgery, ER, and ICU expenses
- Additional surgery costs
- Repair or replacement value for your vehicle and other personal property
- Ongoing physical therapy costs
Each case is unique, but working with an experienced car accident attorney means you likely won’t leave money on the table because you didn’t know you could include an expense. Your lawyer will fight for maximum compensation and fair treatment by insurance providers.
How Automotive Insurance and Personal Injury Lawsuits Work in Texas
According to the Texas Department of Insurance, all drivers must carry liability coverage at a minimum of $30,000 for bodily injury per person ($60,000 per accident) and $25,000 for property damage. This is paid to anyone the driver harms in a crash and is usually limited to economic damages only. If your damages exceed the minimums, you may be able to use other policies, such as uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, to pay your losses.
However, if you don’t have any other coverage or your non-ecomonic losses (pain and suffering) are substantial, you may need to turn to a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party. Your attorney can analyze the circumstances of your case and help you determine whether the defendant will be able to pay your damages if your case goes to trial. You may decide to forcefully negotiate an out-of-court settlement instead.
Regardless of how you and your lawyer proceed, you should choose an attorney who will keep you updated on your claim, advise you, and only act with your approval. You need someone you can trust to manage the case while you focus on your physical and emotional recovery. Your lawyer should reduce your stress and worry when you are facing leg injuries after a car crash.
Getting Back On Your Feet After a Car Accident in Texas
If you have suffered a leg injury from a car accident, you could be entitled to compensation for medical bills, treatment costs, and lost wages. Instead of wondering what your options are, schedule a free case review with auto accident attorney Steve Lee at 1-800-232-3711 or through our online form.
Waiting too long could mean you pass the statute of limitations to file your claim and seek the justice you deserve. Attorney Steve Lee will keep that from happening when you act quickly. With over 50 years worth of experience helping car accident victims get back on their feet, we can help you get the compensation you need to stand tall.