An injured leg, especially as it relates to leg injuries from car accidents, can be particularly devastating for anyone to endure. Personal physical mobility or movement goes to the essence of day-to-day life and the enjoyment of the same.
If you find yourself in this predicament, consider contacting a New York Car Accident Lawyer for a readout of your rights to obtain compensation from those responsible.
As explained below in very broad strokes, leg trauma can take a variety of overlapping forms. Apart from the inability to walk normally and the physical pain and related limitations suffered in the accident and during the recuperation, the absence of the ability to maintain self-sufficiency on your own two feet, both metaphorically and literally, can be dispiriting.
If you lost the use of one or both of your legs even temporarily owing to a motor vehicle-related accident, a slip and fall, or another kind of personal injury, you deserve compensation from the party or parties deemed liable.
Surgery, pharmaceutical drug prescriptions, and/or long periods of physical therapy are often the common outcomes of these serious leg injuries.
ACL Injuries
If you’re even just a casual sports fan, you’re probably heard or read about athletes who have suffered an ACL tear after a sudden stop or reversal of direction on the field or court. Ordinary people can also suffer this kind of serious leg injury in an accident.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one four flexible bands of tissue that provide a bridge between the femur (thighbone) and the tibia (shinbone).
Symptoms of this ligament tear include a pop inside the knee, severe pain, swelling, knee instability, and being unstable when trying to put weight on the leg. Surgical interventions are likely to repair an ACL injury.
Soft Tissue Injury
Soft-tissue injuries consist of bruises (contusions) and sprains to areas of the body such as muscles, ligaments, or tendons, all of which can be adversely affected by a leg injury in an accident.
In addition to a muscle contusion, or contusions to other parts of the body, pain and swelling are among the maladies that can result from a soft tissue injury.
Persons who have suffered from soft-tissue damage, such as associated with leg injuries stemming from a motor vehicle crash, can also experience tendonitis, bursitis, and stress fractures.
Tendonitis and bursitis usually manifest in inflammation in tendons and the bursa, respectively. The bursa is a diminutive sac that provides padding to tendons, muscles, and bones. A stress fracture is a tiny crack in a bone that can occur in the leg. Internal organs may also suffer damage.
Broken Bones or Fractures
Anyone who has been through the ordeal of a serious car accident may have suffered a significant broken bone or a fracture, which are interchangeable terms.
A car accident, broken leg or a lower leg impact injury is likely to leave the victim in a cast and hobbling around on crutches while the bone heals.
There are four bones in the leg: the femur, patella (kneecap), tibia, and fibula.
Fractures, including a tibia fracture, can be classified as either simple or compound depending upon severity.
A compound fracture is particularly gruesome in that the bone has penetrated the skin, whereas the bone has not broken through the skin in a simple fracture. In some instances, the latter is only discovered later after an X-ray.
Short of broken bone, a dislocation – i.e., a painful separation of bones – can also occur following a car accident
Bruise
A bruise or a contusion is a broken blood vessel and a usually purplish skin discoloration that forms after an impact such as a physical trauma suffered after a leg injury from a car accident. A bone bruise is one outcome after a car accident.
Knee Injuries
The knee is a critically important joint where the femur (a.k.a. the thigh bone) and the tibia (a.k.a. shinbone) come together.
Impact from a car crash can obviously have an adverse effect on knee health and indeed the ability to walk. Post-accident surgery for a knee injury is often likely.
Torn Meniscus
A torn meniscus is an injury to the cartilage in the knee that can also be disabling. As with other similar injuries, pain, swelling, and stiffness can result, which sometimes requires surgery.
This is another one of those injuries that are commonly experienced by athletes for the same reasons that put their ACLs at risk.
The meniscus is a form of cartilage in the knee that has been described as a shock absorber and stabilizer.
Lacerations
A laceration or cut is a wound to the skin. In a car accident, lacerations may be caused by, e.g., blunt force impact or being struck by broken glass or other debris.
Bleeding following an accident with a leg injury may result sometimes requiring stitches or other interventions.
Amputations
One of the most horrible-to-contemplate outcomes in a car accident is the loss of leg, a toe, an arm, or a finger.
The amputation of a limb may occur in a devastating crash impact or may happen on the operating table as a consequence of life-saving trauma surgery.
According to at least one study, amputations are predominant in very dangerous head-on collisions that result in a rollover.
In addition to the standard range of money damages, an injury victim is likely to become eligible for compensation for prosthetics as well as training in the use of artificial limbs.
Femur
A femur fracture is serious business inasmuch as the femur is the longest bone in the body.
A leg injury in an accident that involves a broken femur means among other things, a long period of recuperation, the use of a wheelchair or walker, and the likelihood of a permanent limitation on leg function such as a limp.
Nerve Damage
Following a car accident, nerve damage (i.e., compression or trauma to the nerves) can occur with symptoms such as tingling, shooting pain, numbness and spasms often manifesting in the neck or spine.
Nerve damage injuries include such disorders like whiplash, a herniated disc, or a pinched nerve.
Sciatica
Sciatica is another kind of nerve damage that afflicts the lower back and leg.
The sciatic nerve is the thickest and longest nerve in the body.
Like other forms of nerve disorders, the pain and discomfort and other symptoms may not emerge immediately after from leg injury from a car accident, instead showing up a day or two later.
Herniated Disk
A spinal injury such as a herniated disk is one of the major and risk factors arising from a car accident. It can materialize as a ruptured, protruding, or slipped disk and can cause a significant amount of pain in the lower back and leg.
Causes of Leg Injuries in Car Accidents
As with serious harm in any car accident, leg injuries can be caused by treacherous motor vehicle encounters such as the following:
- Rear-end collisions
- Head-on crashes
- Rollovers
- Sideswipes
- T-bone accidents
- Car vs. pedestrian or bicyclist
Although the entire body is in peril in these ill-fated incidents, given the proximity to the car dashboard upon impact, knee injuries are particularly common for drivers and passengers.
What types of damages can you include in a leg accident claim?
Given the far-reaching consequences, a car accident victim who suffers a leg injury can potentially seek an array of money damages from the person or persons who caused the injury typically in the form of an insurance company payout.
In general, the elements of recoverable financial compensation are as follows:
- Medical expenses and prescription costs
- Lost pay, plus future pay
- Property damage
- Rehab and physical therapy services
- Pain and suffering, including emotional trauma
- Mobility devices, prosthetics, and, if necessary, home modifications
- Temporary or permanent disability
Do You Need an Attorney for Your Leg Accident Claim?
Not necessarily, but retaining an attorney is highly recommended for car accident leg injuries. The claims procedure is exceedingly complicated, and you and your family would be best served with a competent, experienced personal Injury lawyer handling all aspects of your claim.
Our firm can also put you in touch with healthcare providers and rehabilitation specialists to help you potentially fast-track your healing process. Contact Omni Injury & Accident Law at 646-503-0404 if you or a loved one needs representation from a firm with a commitment to compensation with compassion.