When people get hurt due to car crashes, unsafe products or dangerous property conditions, they typically try to classify their injuries. Most injuries are treatable and result in a full recovery if people receive appropriate medical care.
Other injuries may be more severe and could cause permanent symptoms, as well as lasting financial challenges. These catastrophic injuries often require more consideration than less severe injuries. Most people include fractures or broken bones in the category of treatable injuries. However, they can become catastrophic injuries in some cases. Open or compound fractures are some of the worst broken bones people can experience.
What makes a compound fracture a catastrophic injury?
The immediate medical risks
Unlike most fractures, open or compound fractures can put people at risk of death. The bone pushes through the skin, which leads to blood loss. Depending on what bone broke and whether the secondary damage affected any vascular tissue, blood loss could quickly become life-threatening. Additionally, the risk of severe infection is hard to ignore. People with open fractures typically need immediate emergency trauma care to save their lives and stabilize their condition.
The cost of medical treatment
Open fractures are not easy to set. Patients don’t just require an x-ray and a cast. They usually require blood transfusions and surgical intervention. They may spend days in the hospital recovering after the procedure. They likely also have a long road to recovery ahead of them. The cost of treating an open fracture can be many times higher than the cost of treating simple or stable fractures.
The lasting functional limitations
An open or compound fracture may not heal as cleanly and fully as a simple fracture might. There is also the risk of nerve damage and scarring to consider. The injured person may have lingering functional limitations for years after they recover from the initial trauma. The lingering symptoms of an open fracture could leave people unable to continue their chosen professions. They may have to move into lower-paid work that is less physically demanding.
People who sustain open fractures or other catastrophic injuries may need help looking into their options for compensation and holding the right party accountable, and that’s okay. Recognizing how costly a compound fracture can be – and seeking legal guidance accordingly – could help an injured person get the compensation they deserve.