The femur, or thighbone, does not break easily, so when car crash victims in Chicago, Illinois, suffer from a fractured femur, then you know that the accident must have been a violent one. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says that car collisions are the most frequently reported cause of femur fractures with falls from an elevated surface coming in second.
Regarding the location of the fracture
The femur may be broken at the upper quarter, which includes the femoral head and neck where the bone joins the hip joint. Hip fractures, as they are called, most often occur in falls among elderly people, whose bones are already brittle.
Crash victims, though, are more likely to fracture the femoral shaft, which is the midsection, or the part that attaches to the knee joint, called the distal end. Among crash victims, it’s pedestrians and motorcyclists who most often incur femur fractures since they have nothing surrounding them to absorb the impact.
Short- and long-term consequences of fractures
Femur fractures can lead to potentially fatal blood clots and excessive blood loss. Victims may tear their muscles and ligaments and even become susceptible to infection if their bone happens to protrude from the leg. Most crash victims who suffer from these conditions need to be transported straight to the hospital.
Most of these fractures require surgery, and the surgeons may make use of metal rods, plates and screws to bring the shattered pieces of bone together and keep the femur straight. Only occasionally will a cast and a pair of crutches suffice for a femur fracture. Victims may even need to take medications to escape the pain and undergo regular physical therapy and rehabilitative care.
When victims are not to blame for a crash
Illinois being an at-fault state, you can file a personal injury claim in the wake of the accident that left you with a fractured femur and other conditions. It all depends on the degree of each party’s negligence. You may consider filing your claim after a lawyer has carefully assessed it and given you advice and guidance.