West Palm Beach Fractured or Broken Legs

Suffering a broken or fractured leg is not only painful but can have significant longer-term consequences. Broken legs are often injuries sustained in a car accident, and they can lead to a victim not only needing medical care but also taking time off from work, especially if that victim has a relatively physical job. When car accidents are caused by another person’s careless behavior, legal action is available for victims who need financial assistance in their recovery. The West Palm Beach car accident attorneys at Donaldson & Weston help victims with broken or fractured legs file suit against those responsible for their harm. If you have sustained a broken leg in a motor vehicle collision, you may be entitled to damages in a personal injury lawsuit. Our attorneys have vast experience representing West Palm Beach residents in these claims, working tirelessly to ensure that justice is served.

West Palm Beach has some of the most dangerous roads in the region, such as Okeechobee Boulevard and Jog Road, where many car accidents causing injuries take place. These collisions are usually due to a driver’s negligent actions, such as texting while driving or engaging in other distractions behind the wheel. Palm Beach County has reported a 50 percent increase in distracted driving accidents over the last few years. One of the most common car accident injuries is a broken or fractured leg, which can range in severity and be accompanied by other types of injuries, leaving victims with long recovery times.

A person has four bones in their leg: a femur, tibia, fibula, and patella. The longest bone, extending from the hip to the knee, is the femur, while the shin bone, or tibia, is the second-longest. The tibia is also the bone most prone to being broken or fractured, which can lead to ankle or soft tissue knee injuries as well. There are several different kinds of leg fractures that may be suffered as a result of a motor vehicle accident:

• An open fracture, which happens if the skin is broken by the bone;


• A complete fracture, occurring if bone fragments completely separate, as opposed to an incomplete fracture in which those fragments stay together partially;


• A spiral fracture, which is a result of a bone twisting so hard that it breaks; and


• A comminuted fracture, in which a bone breaks in more than one place.

Broken or fractured legs can require multiple surgical procedures, as well as rehabilitative efforts. Victims who have sustained serious broken leg injuries in a car accident often need financial assistance in securing what their insurance coverage provides. In many instances, legal claims against those responsible for causing an accident are necessary.

Victims who have sustained injuries in a car accident may pursue a personal injury claim against a negligent defendant. Negligence is established by showing that a defendant owed a duty to the victim, breached that duty by acting unreasonably, and caused the victim’s injuries, resulting in damages. All motorists owe each other and other road users a duty to act as a reasonable and prudent person given the circumstances. Therefore, a driver who is excessively speeding or driving aggressively, causing an accident, may be found negligent. If a driver’s liability is proven, victims may receive compensation, including medical costs, rehabilitation expenses, and lost income. Consulting an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible following a collision is important to ensuring that the proper evidence is collected and that a victim’s legal rights are preserved.